The smell of a roasting lamb, bathed in good Extra Virgin Olive Oil and fragrant herbs transports me to Italy in a blink of a second. There is nothing more simple, nothing more pure and more delicious than slow roasted lamb with some fresh veggies (oh, asparagus!), a salad and a couple of potatoes, glistening in golden olive oil.

And as always, please make a difference when choosing your meat: buy pasture raised lamb at your Farmer’s Market. It is better for your health, better for the environment, and it tastes better, too!

Ingredients

1 (5 pound) leg of lamb

3 cloves garlic, cut into slivers

1 tbsp. of Cosimo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp. of Roberta’s Fine Roasting & Grilling Salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Method (1) Preheat oven to 325°F. (2) Puncture the leg of lamb with the tip of a knife just far enough to insert slivers of garlic into the holes. (3) Gently massage 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the meat. (4) Rub Roberta's Fine Roasting & Grilling Salt over the leg of lamb. (5) Place the lamb, fatty side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. (6) Roast uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 155°F for medium. (7) Tent with aluminum foil and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. The lamb will continue to cook a little bit, and the juices will set up better for carving.

To carve the leg of lamb, for stability, (1) place the roast on its side on the cutting board with the shank bone facing away from you. Cut two or three lengthwise slices from the section of the meat facing you. This will allow the meat to sit flat on the cutting board. (2) Turn the roast up so that it sits on the cut area. Hold the roast steady with a long-handled meat fork inserted into the meat opposite the shank bone. Holding the knife perpendicular to the cutting board and starting by the shank bone, cut across the grain in uniform, thin slices. Cut the slices between 1/4- to 1/2-inches thick. (3) When you reach the bone, release the slices by cutting under them along the leg bone. Place slices on a warmed serving platter. (4) Drizzle the lamb with Cosimo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Serve immediately.

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