Garlic Studded Rosemary Lamb

An unexpected surprise greeted me when I opened the refrigerator the other night - it was a leg of lamb. Lamb is not one of my favorite dishes, but I thought I would make the best of it. My husband usually prepares the lamb, but since he was sick, it was up to me. Taking a cue from his usual process, I prepared the lamb with my own style.

3-4 pound leg of lamb

2 heads of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves

1/2 cup rosemary needles

olive oil

black pepper

1. Unwrap the lamb and place in the pot. I used a 6 quart dutch oven.

2. Using a paring knife, poke a hole in the lamb and insert a clove of garlic into the hole.

3. Repeat step 2 until all the garlic is used and the lamb is has garlic all around.

4. Drizzle olive oil over the lamb, making sure all sides are covered.

5. Sprinkle the rosemary and pepper over the lamb

6. Rub the surface to ensure the rosemary and pepper thoroughly coat the meat.

7. Cover and put in the refrigerator until ready to use. I stored the lamb overnight before cooking.

8. When ready to cook, place dutch oven on stove top over medium heat.

9. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

10. Brown the lamb on all sides.

11. Cover and place in the oven.

12. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F. This is about 10 minutes a pound for medium-rare.

13. Remove from oven and let rest before carving.

Our lamb rested in the covered dutch oven for almost an hour after removing it from the oven. It continued to cook and was medium when carved. Even though it rested longer than I anticipated, it was still very good. I ate it plain without any mint jelly and the flavor was mild and the meat tender.