Boneless leg of lamb--tips to get crispy outside and rare inside?

[skewered]

Hi everyone!

We have a boneless leg of lamb that is held together in butcher's twine.  There is some fat on the outside, but not a lot.  We'd like to roast it so that the outside is crispy, but the inside is rare to medium rare.

First thought is to sear it in some hot oil on stove, then place onto a rack in a baking dish, sprinkle with herbes de provence and maybe garlic slices, and finish it in a slow oven, like 250 degrees.

Does anyone have some suggestions?

Thanks!

SK

 

[french fries]

Do you have a grill? A grill will give you a beautiful crust and rare inside. Even if you don't have a grill, I wouldn't sear the leg first. Get the oven hotter, depending on the size, to achieve better browning before the inside gets overcooked.

Also, if I may suggest an idea, if you have a few minutes, open the butterflied leg of lamb, stuff it, and tie it back together. Stuffing ideas? Garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, lemon slices... keep it simple... one or two of the mentioned ingredients should be enough, i.e. garlic & parsley.

 

[koukouvagia]

I definitely sear a roast like this if I want a nice crispy outside and a rare inside.  Go for it.  Just make sure that when you sear it do it only with salt and pepper.  After I've seared it then I slather it in other seasonings and roast.

 

[chrisbelgium]

Nicely brown the lamb in a pan with oil and then slowcook it in the oven is perfect for such delicate meat, just take your time to do this.

At a 250°F oventemperature I would use a meat thermometer to get to a 58°C/135°F inner temperature for a nice not too pink meat.

Personnally I like to set my oven at 180°C/350°C to cook a gigot in the oven; it takes less time to cook and it will get your meat more crisp on the outside.

Remember that lamb is a little bland naturally. Add some more pepper and salt than usual just after searing it.

I mostly punch small holes in the meat before cooking and push a few whole cloves of garlic in some holes and sprigs of thyme or rosemary in other holes. If you don't like to do this, just add a lot of unpeeled garlic in the oven tray and some sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Turn the lamb halfway cookingtime in the oven! When the lamb is done, you simply push the garlic out of the peel. Mash it a little and add to your sauce or cookingjus. The harsh garlictaste will now be nice and sweet and acceptably garlicky for anyone. Really good!

Also, after it's done, put it on a cuttingboard and cover with doublefolded aluminiumfoil to keep it warm. You can put it like that in the open oven while the oven is slowly cooling. Resting lamb at least 5 minutes (10 minutes is better) is so essential! The natural juices will spread nicely in the meat and prevent the meat from bleeding, which is not a nice view in a plate.

 

[phatch]

I like this cut on the grill. Sear off over direct heat, then finish indirect.  This might also be a good case for a reverse sear where you roast it slow, 250ish until about 110 in the center, then finish over direct heat or at the stove to get your crusty sear while bringing the center temp up the last few degrees.