I was driving past my local butchers Jim Flavin last week and spotted his sign for leg of spring lamb for just €20. I would never notice anything like this but I really have become more aware of my spending since this recession went into overdrive. I don’t think anyone expected it to get this bad so fast! La Cucina is still doing fine but is definitely down a bit but we are lucky in that we can just work a little bit more ourselves – about time I hear some people say;) To be honest we’re probably lucky that the new restaurant didn’t work out as this is not the time to be opening something new. I know we would have still done well but we would have needed to be packed out every night just to cover the bills and the cost of setting it up but that’s not guaranteed in this climate.
After seeing the sign for the lamb I went home and had a look through the Silver Spoon and found this recipe which sounded delicious, I had all the herbs required in the garden(best thing ever) so I popped back down and picked up my lamb and some potatoes. The recipe called for the lamb to be cut up into pieces which I would never be able to do myself so I asked the butcher to do it and he even carried my bags to the car – now that’s service. I also picked up 2 free range chickens as we had friends coming over for dinner the next day and they were only €8.95 each! I do go to my local butcher regularly but sometimes I do take the easy option and just buy meat and chicken in the supermarket but there is no comparison in those prices, I’ve paid up to €30 for a leg of lamb and €15+ for chickens so I know where I will be going every time now regardless of convenience or not.
what you need:
– leg of lamb cut up into pieces. I only used half of it and have the rest in the freezer.
– plain flour for dusting
– olive oil
– 3 fresh rosemary sprigs – you won’t get fresher than my garden.
– 4 sage leaves
-1 garlic clove finely chopped.
– 175ml white wine
– 5 tbsp white wine vinegar
– 4 potatoes sliced as thin as you can.(note to self)
– salt and pepper
what to do: – pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
– dust the pieces of lamb with flour and season.
– heat the oil in a roasting tin, add the lamb and cook over a high heat until browned all over. Keep turning the pieces.
– season again and add the garlic, sage and rosemary and cook for about 5 mins.
– add your wine and vinegar and cook until evaporated.
– add 150ml boiling water and put the potatoes on top.
– cover and roast for 30 – 40 mins or until tender.
– if the gravy dries out just add a little more water.
– when cooked transfer the lamb to a serving dish and EAT!!!
I loved this recipe, the dish was bursting with flavour and so tasty, I think I prefer to eat the leg cut up rather than whole so this will be on the italian foodie table a lot this winter:)
buon appetito!
italian foodies 
Lars – how did it turn out for you?
It was great! 🙂 Usually, when eating lamb, I eat chops or the leg. This dish was something else, and was a good dish to broaden my horizont, and it did. (I got your point about the thin potatoes, and they really need to be thin to cook decent)
Also, as an Italiophile, I try to test out Italian dishes that are not pasta and pizza.
Not that I dont like pasta and pizza, but Italian cuisine has so much more to offer, and the “Italian” restaurants here, are for sure not showcasing it.