Expert: YIANNIS MELAMPIANAKIS - 4/8/2004

Question
Greetings!  I am a pretty inexperienced chef, and have never even cooked a roast before.  However, this weekend I have been given the task of making a lamb roast.  Yes...this is scary!  I know absolutely nothing about roasting meat, much less lamb.  So, I need your help desperately!  Please tell me first of all how to select a good cut of lamb meat, how to season the meat, what to season it with, and how to tell if the lamb is done.  I do not currently have a meat thermometer, but am trying to find one.  If I cannot find one in time, is there a way to determine if the lamb is done?  Please help me cook my relatives a tender, juicy, tasty lamb roast!  Any suggestions at all would be very greatly appreciated!!

Answer
Traditional roast lamb with potatoes.

Ingredients
one 6-pound leg of young spring lamb  
2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced  
slat and pepper to taste  
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano  
4 tablespoons olive oil  
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice  
20 small potatoes, peeled  
2 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/4 cup water  
2 cups hot water  

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash leg of lamb. Slit with a sharp knife in various places on both sides of lamb. Insert garlic slices in slits. Season with salt, pepper, adn 1/2 tablespoon oregano, and brush with olive oil. Pour lemon juice over lamb and place in roasting pan, fat side up. Roast for about 1/2 hour.

While lamb is browning, combine salt, tomato paste, and water and pour over potatoes. Add to roasting pan; sprinkle with remaining oregano. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, turning and basting the potatoes occasionally. Remove to a hot serving platter; slice and serve meat surrounded by potatoes.

Yield
6 servings.