Lamb alla Materana
Do not get deceived by the simplicity of this recipe, the outcome is superb. The trick is the high quality of the ingredients. For this reason,
stay away from any store bought lamb. At Agricola Farm we raise Icelandic lamb, known for the mild flavor of their meat and for being lambs that grow and strive on grass alone. Our lambs never see any grains other than the occasional handful we need to show them when the weather is very nice an we need to entice them to come back to the barn after a full day in the fields.
Recently local stores have started to carry fresh bay leaves – select those if you can and of course nothing is going to taste better than your own spices. Every spring we have bags full of garlic we sell to our customers at the Farm Stand so check out for those (or ask us about it) if you do not grow yours but, if you have even a small vegetable garden we strongly encourage to start your own garlic patch – it is a pleasure to see the green plants poking out of the snow to announce the coming of the warmer season. Enjoy your leg of lamb with a side dish of roasted potatoes or squash.
Wine: the experts, suggest to pair the dish with Crognolo, an elegant red wine from Matera, the place where this recipe originated, made
predominantly with Sangiovese and small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The taste of this wine is fruity and rich and goes well with the
flavor of the lamb without overwhelming it.
Enjoy!
stay away from any store bought lamb. At Agricola Farm we raise Icelandic lamb, known for the mild flavor of their meat and for being lambs that grow and strive on grass alone. Our lambs never see any grains other than the occasional handful we need to show them when the weather is very nice an we need to entice them to come back to the barn after a full day in the fields.
Recently local stores have started to carry fresh bay leaves – select those if you can and of course nothing is going to taste better than your own spices. Every spring we have bags full of garlic we sell to our customers at the Farm Stand so check out for those (or ask us about it) if you do not grow yours but, if you have even a small vegetable garden we strongly encourage to start your own garlic patch – it is a pleasure to see the green plants poking out of the snow to announce the coming of the warmer season. Enjoy your leg of lamb with a side dish of roasted potatoes or squash.
Wine: the experts, suggest to pair the dish with Crognolo, an elegant red wine from Matera, the place where this recipe originated, made
predominantly with Sangiovese and small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The taste of this wine is fruity and rich and goes well with the
flavor of the lamb without overwhelming it.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 leg of Agricola Lamb (approximately 4.5 – 5 Lbs)
6 potatoes (good for roasting)
6 oz of dry white wine
4 oz extra vergin olive oil
½ tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
2 bay leaves (fresh if you can find them, otherwise 3 dry leaves)
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
1 leg of Agricola Lamb (approximately 4.5 – 5 Lbs)
6 potatoes (good for roasting)
6 oz of dry white wine
4 oz extra vergin olive oil
½ tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
2 bay leaves (fresh if you can find them, otherwise 3 dry leaves)
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
Procedure
Place the leg of lamb in a glass baking dish (if you have a small one the side of the leg it is ideal).Salt the leg and rub the salt in the meat. Peel the garlic but do not cut it, instead, smash the cloves applying pressure with your hand on the flat side of a large knife. Mince the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and marjoram using your hands (this preserves the flavor of the spices). Mix the cloves of garlic and the spices with all the other ingredients. Poor the marinate on top of the leg of lamb making sure the spices are nicely resting on top of the leg. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Let the leg rest for 2 hrs in the refrigerator then take it out and turn the leg, making sure the top of the leg is nicely covered with the marinate. After 2 hrs remove the leg from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In the meantime pre-heat the oven to 260F and cut the potatoes in large pieces. Place the potatoes inside the baking dish underneath the leg.
Once the oven is hot, remove the plastic wrap and place the baking dish in the middle rack. Check the temperature of the meat using a meat thermometer. After approximately 80 min the leg should have reached 140F for medium rare.
Let the leg rest for 10 minutes before carving so that the internal temperature rises to 145F, the perfect temperature for medium rare. Do NOT let it cook over 160F or it will be like chewing the sole of an old shoe and you will be wondering why we claim our lamb is so tasty
Place the leg of lamb in a glass baking dish (if you have a small one the side of the leg it is ideal).Salt the leg and rub the salt in the meat. Peel the garlic but do not cut it, instead, smash the cloves applying pressure with your hand on the flat side of a large knife. Mince the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and marjoram using your hands (this preserves the flavor of the spices). Mix the cloves of garlic and the spices with all the other ingredients. Poor the marinate on top of the leg of lamb making sure the spices are nicely resting on top of the leg. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Let the leg rest for 2 hrs in the refrigerator then take it out and turn the leg, making sure the top of the leg is nicely covered with the marinate. After 2 hrs remove the leg from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In the meantime pre-heat the oven to 260F and cut the potatoes in large pieces. Place the potatoes inside the baking dish underneath the leg.
Once the oven is hot, remove the plastic wrap and place the baking dish in the middle rack. Check the temperature of the meat using a meat thermometer. After approximately 80 min the leg should have reached 140F for medium rare.
Let the leg rest for 10 minutes before carving so that the internal temperature rises to 145F, the perfect temperature for medium rare. Do NOT let it cook over 160F or it will be like chewing the sole of an old shoe and you will be wondering why we claim our lamb is so tasty
