Name: Leg of lamb marinated with whole lemon, garlic and rosemary
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 whole lemons, washed, seeded and chopped; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked; 5 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled; 1 tbsp coarse salt; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 to 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 boneless leg of lamb, butterflied and opened out flat, about 2.3 kg (ask your butcher to bone and butterfly it)

For this leg of lamb, whole lemons, peel and all, are blended with rosemary, garlic, salt and olive oil. This paste marinates the boned, butterflied leg overnight. Then it roasts for 45 minutes in a very hot oven.

The lemon, cooked with its peel, gives a sharp, slightly bitter note that balances the fat of the lamb. The garlic and rosemary flavour the crust. The longer it marinates, the more the meat tastes of lemon.

Method

Put the lemons, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor and blend. A blender works too, in batches. If you have neither, chop everything together very finely with a knife.

Open the lamb out flat. Spread the lemon paste over both sides and massage it into the meat. Put it in a covered dish, or a large food bag, and leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge, turning it now and then.

Preheat the oven to 230 °C. Take the meat out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before cooking. Set it on a rack over a rimmed baking tray lined with foil.

Put it in the oven. After 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 220 °C. Roast for 45 minutes, until a thermometer reads 60 °C in the centre for pink meat.

Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.