Glazed Leg of Lamb with Roasted Root Vegetables

Root vegetables are important ingredients in Scandinavian cuisine. In this dish the lamb meat is accompanied by a plethora of root vegetables – scented with mustard, rosemary and garlic.

INGREDIENTS:

Number of servings

Servings: 8

List of ingredients

One 6-pound leg of lamb

1 pound (½kg) parsnips, peeled and cut into apx 1½ -inch pieces

1 pound (½kg) rutabaga, peeled and cut into apx 1½ -inch pieces

1 pound (½kg) onions, quartered

1 to 2 pounds (½-1kg) russet potatoes, quartered

1 pound (½kg) carrots, peeled and cut into apx 1½ -inch pieces

2 plump heads of garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled

1 cup (2 ½dl) beer (pilsner type), or more as needed

1 cup (2 ½dl) lamb, veal, or chicken stock, or more as needed

¼ cup (½dl) olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Fine sea salt

¼ cup (½dl) sweet honey mustard, preferably Swedish, or

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard plus 1 tablespoon honey

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Let the meat stand at room temperature for 2 hours before roasting. (It is easier to get good, even results when the meat is not cold.)

PREPARATION:

• Place all the vegetables in a roasting pan. Place the garlic cloves in among the vegetables. Pour the beer, stock, and olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the rosemary and season with salt.

• Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Rub it all over with 1 tablespoon salt. If not using honey mustard, combine the Dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl. Rub the leg with the honey mustard or mustard-and-honey mixture. Insert a meat thermometer, if you have one, into the thickest part of the leg; make sure it does not touch the bone.

• Place the leg of lamb on a rack that will fit over the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and set the rack with the lamb over the pan, so the roasting juices will drip down onto the vegetables. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F. Cook for another 1½ hours, or until the meat thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer) reads 145°F. Make sure the vegetables do not get dry; if they look dry, add another cup or so of beer or stock.

• Let the meat rest, uncovered, on a carving board for at least 30 minutes. Leave the vegetables in the oven to keep warm.

• When the meat is ready, transfer the vegetables to a serving platter. I like to carve the meat at the table, but you may choose to carve it in the kitchen; make sure the serving platter is warm (but not hot). The muscle fibers on a leg of lamb run more or less parallel with the bone. For a more tender texture, slice the meat across the muscle fibers. Serve the lamb with the root vegetables; be sure to squeeze the softened garlic out of the skins and spread it on the meat as you eat.