Leg of Lamb – Almy Style

In my opinion, Grenache can pair with almost anything! Anything I cook at home with such a big, hungry and active family, paired with a constantly busy lifestyle has to be easy and not require stirring and loads of TLC. I love food but don’t like spending more time in the kitchen than I have too, anything that has minimal prep time with fresh local ingredients and then throw in the oven suits me. Anyone who knows my husband Craig (Almy), knows that he loves MEAT, so this is one of our families personal favourite pairings with our Grenache, and in true Almy style, its easy!

Ingredients

·       2 kg leg of lamb

·       1 bulb of garlic 

·       ½ a bunch of fresh rosemary 

·       1.5 kg potatoes 

·       1 lemon 

·       olive oil 

Method

1.    Remove lamb from fridge 1 hour before cooking to let it come up to room temperature.

2.    Preheat oven to 200ºC and place a roasting dish for the potatoes on the bottom shelf. 

3.    Break garlic bulbs into cloves, peel 3 and leave the rest whole. Pick and roughly chop half the rosemary leaves. Peel and halve the potatoes.

4.    Crush the peeled garlic into a bowl, add chopped rosemary, finely grate in the lemon zest and drizzle in a good lug of olive oil and mix together.

5.    Season the lamb with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle with marinade and rub all over the meat. Place on the top rack of the oven above the tray. 

6.    Parboil potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, drain and allow to steam dry. Gently toss the potatoes in the colander to scuff up the edges. 

7.    Place potatoes in roasting pan, add remaining rosemary sprigs and whole garlic cloves, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over a good lug of olive oil. Place tray back under the lamb to catch all the lovely juices. 

8.    Cook the lamb for 1 hour 15 minutes if you want it pink, or 1 hour 30 minutes if you like it more well done. 

9.    When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven, squeeze juice from lemon over meat and leave to rest for 15 minutes or so. Carve and serve with the roast potatoes and there you have it. Yummo!

10.         Finally give your dog the bone and tell the children to clean up the mess you made so you can enjoy another glass of Grenache!

Fun facts about our favourite Grenache!

·       Grenache has Spanish roots

Garnacha / Grenache originated in Aragon, a region in northern Spain. It’s in Spain where you can still find some of the best, most affordable Garnacha. Today, the top producing regions are Spain, France, Australia, USA and South Africa.

·       Grenache is a true-blue globe trotter

Grenache may have originated in the old world, but its since taken up residence in all four corners of the globe. It’s the second most planted varietal in the world, growing from Paris to Peru and anywhere in between with enough warmth and sunlight for it to thrive.

·       Grenache occupies more territory than any other grape variety

Despite the fact that other grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Cab Sauvignon can be grown just about anywhere in the world, Grenache actually beats them all when it comes to territory. More land has been given over to the variety than any other grape, thanks largely to the sprawling vineyards in northern Spain.

·       Grenache was one of the earliest varieties planted in Australia

If you ask Australian Wine, Grenache was one of the very earliest grape varieties to be planted in Australia. It was first introduced to the country in the 18th century and quickly took root, becoming one of the main wines used in the sweet fortified wines that formed the foundation of the early Australian wine industry. It remained the most widely planted grape variety until the mid-1960s, at which point Shiraz sneaked up and stole its crown. Today, the country boasts the world’s oldest continuously producing vines.

·       It’s a perfect wine for dinner parties!

You can’t miss the distinguishable fruit-forward flavors of strawberries, cherries, raspberries and figs. Along with the fruit-forward notes, its bold texture, medium body and spice all come together to make it a perfect wine to bring to a dinner party because of its ability to work well with any style of cooking.

Fact references: Wine Tourism, Wine Folly, Vinepair.