Roast Lamb Studded with Garlic and Rosemary

This is a very tasty way of cooking a joint of lamb, it gives the meat a whole new depth of flavour and is one of my favourite ways of cooking lamb as I love garlic and rosemary.

It sounds complicated - it isn't.  

1. You basically take your joint of lamb (for studding with the garlic and Rosemary I tend to use a leg of lamb).  You take a couple of cloves of garlic, peel them and if the clove is a thick in depth cut into a couple or three slices and then slice in half again.   
2. Using a sharp knife stick this firmly into the thick of the meat  following the grain/length of the meat and then wriggle it about until the cut is deep enough for the garlic stick/wedge to be inserted into the meat so it sits flush with the surface of the meat - continue through the joint like this. [see photo]

   3.   Pick fresh Rosemary if you can and put a couple of leaves of Rosemary into the slit 

         with the garlic (you can use dried but I think personally the fresh is far superior).   

         Pop into a roasting tin.   

   4.   Rub the top of the joint with some olive oil and massage in well you don't need much  

         just enough to make sure it does not burn. 

   5.   Put a drop of water into the bottom of the pan, this will form your stock for your gravy.

   6.   Put a lid of foil to cover and keep the meat nice and tender and stop the garlic and 
         rosemary burning - this is important as if the garlic burns it will ruin the joint.

    7.  Cook on gas mark 4.  Check halfway through and turn the meat pan around.  When 
         the meat is done it will go a lovely goldeny brown colour.  If the top of the meat is  
         not the colour you require you can leave it out of the foil for a little while and cook until 
         you are happy with it.  It usually takes me 2 1/2 to 3 hours cooking this way

Use the stock in the bottom of the tin to form the basis of your gravy.  Removing or skimming any excess fat off.

Serve with a selection of vegetables and gravy but most of all enjoy!