Along with a pig, we buy a lamb every year at auction. It’s sweeter in taste than supermarket lamb, and even guests who don’t usually like lamb are converted once they try this aromatic roast.
With its swirls of bright green herbs, the roulade is beautiful when sliced. The Merlot jus is a snap to make while the roast rests. Have your butcher butterfly the lamb to get it as uniformly flat as possible. You can even it out more by pounding once you get it home. The Merlot is perfect with the lamb and herb flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 boned and butterflied leg of lamb, 3 to 4 lb (910 g) to 1.4 kg
- 1 cup (30 g) finely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as oregano, sage, thyme, or rosemary
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt, plus more to finish
- 1 tsp ground black pepper, plus more to finish
- ½ cup/120 ml Merlot or other dry red wine
- ½ cup/120 ml best-quality lamb or beef stock
How to Make It
- Pound the lamb with a mallet to uniform thickness. In a small bowl, combine the herbs, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a paste. Spread the paste evenly on top of the lamb. Starting from one end, roll the lamb up in a spiral. Tie the lamb together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C/gas 8. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan/tray on a rack and roast for 10 minutes. Turn the lamb over and roast for 10 minutes more. Reduce the oven temperature and roast for another 30 minutes for a total of 50 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roulade registers 130°F/54°C for mediumrare. Transfer to a carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the roasting pan/tray over medium heat. Add the Merlot and stock. Stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook to reduce the liquid by half. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the jus into a bowl.
- To serve, cut the lamb into slices and drizzle with the jus.
