Roast Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

This is a great holiday or entertaining recipe. There are lots of moving parts to it but if you follow the recipe without shortcuts, you won’t be disappointed. But more importantly, your guests will be in awe of your cooking!

🍷 Wine Pairing: A Cabernet Sauvignon, a good Red Blend or a Robust Merlot will pair well with this meal.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

• 1 6- to 7- pound bone-in or boneless leg of lamb

• ¼ C extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ C Dijon mustard

• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

• 1 T fresh rosemary (chopped)

• 1 T parsley (chopped)

• 1 T sage (chopped)

• 1 medium onion (coarsely chopped)

• 1 celery rib (coarsely chopped)

• 1 carrot (thinly sliced)

• ½ C dry red wine

• 2 T tomato paste

• 1 C veal demiglace

• 2 T butter

• 1 C water

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix 2 T of the olive oil with the Dijon mustard, garlic, and herbs. Coat the lamb with the mixture and season with salt and pepper.

2. Put all the chopped vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan and coat with the remaining oil. Place lamb, fat side up, on the vegetables and roast for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 130°F.

3. Remove from oven and set lamb aside to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Set the roasting pan over two moderately high heat stovetop burners and pour in the wine. Reduce to about ¼ C while scraping the brown bits on the bottom. Stir in the tomato paste and simmer for 1 minute. Add the demiglace, butter, and water and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced to 2 C, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan, pressing on the solids. Season with salt and pepper and keep hot.

5. Carve the lamb and serve the slices with the red wine sauce.