Farkety Fark Fark damn the Dutch. My lamb is here and it's not what I was expecting. Heeeeeelp!

[NorktasticNinja]

So, I wanted to do roast lamb with rosemary and garlic tomorrow and ordered a piece of leg from the butcher. They really don't do lamb over here so explaining what I wanted was quite a palava... anyway I just collected it and the farkers have taken all the fat off the outside (and not sent it with the meat).

WTF am I going to do now? It's a really lean piece so I'm worried it's going to dry out and be all nasty.

Oh, and they've taken the bone out too... at least they sent that but now I'm a bit lost on cooking time, not to mention actually getting some flavour.

I could take it back, make a fuss etc etc but there is no way I can get a replacement (they don't stock lamb) so I'm going to have to make do with this...

Help me. Please.

make it into a rolled leg with stuffing down the inside - if you put fat in the stuffing it will be moist

I have no lamb fat What sort of stuffing would you suggest?

It'd make a lovely curry, don't much fancy curry though...

Have you got any oil you can drizzle all over it and baste regularly?

You could wrap it in foil so that it keeps all the moisture in, and cook it nice an slowly.

Coat it thickly with butter, then wrap it tightly in foil.

Use butter for fat. Stuff it with rosemary,butter then wrap in tinfoil then cook it very slowly for hours.Put a bowl of water in the bottom of the oven when you take the tinfoil off (and oven off too) and let it be for half an hour.

Have you got a slow cooker? Would it fit?
As it would cook superbly and would save you the faff tomorrow.

Ah, ideas! Thank you all I've not got a slow cooker so GentleOtters metod is sounding good.

We have a development... I've just berated the butcher in my very best Dutch and they will sort some lambs fat for me! Hooorrraahhh! I'll be able to collect it and the end of the day.

Now I just need to work out what to do with it... a stuffing recipe? Lay it over the top?

It's about 800 grams, how long should I be cooking (at what temperature) it if I want it just over medium?

Bilmey, the meat is 800g, not the fat!

for roasting my book says 25mins per 450g plus 25 min for medium aat 70-75C, 160-170F, presumably with the stuffing a bit longer?

Thanks, would it really cook at that sort of temperature in such a short time? Divvy Delia says 30 minutes at 230C followed by 30 minutes per pound at 180C (no mention of medium/rare/well done...), which sounds a bit excessive.

I knew what I was doing, but now I am lost, lost lost...

I'm cooking a lamb leg roll tomorrow

have a look at the winter tuck in here cant directly link as need to download, look at the third page, where they have a boneless shoulder roll, it demonstrates step by step how to stuff and roll and tie the meat

i have bought stuffing mix and herbs

*opens her Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques book (aka Libras cooking bible), balances glasses on nose

Rare-Medium/rare: Roast at 230c for 10 mins then at 180c for 18mins per 450g (internal temp 60c)

Medium: Roast at 230c for 10 mins then at 180c for 25mins per 450g plus an extra 25 minutes (internal temp 70c)

welldone: Roast at 230c for 10 mins then at 180c for 30mins per 450g plus an extra 30 minutes (internal temp 80c)

Well mine were from Good Housekeeping and it works out at a total of 1hr 10 mins. But I would pre-heat the oven hotter and then turn it down when I put the joint in, although the recipe littleducks has posted may be the best thing to follow.

I wonder how long it took the butcher to take it off the bone for the mad english woman!!!

Where abouts do you live? I lived in Groningen for a year and loved it.

Libra - I think I love you

That looks delicious littleducks! I might give it a try next time, if I can get shoulder.

I'm hoping not to have to use the fat to stuff it. So, if my fat is all in one piece I'll just tie it on as I roll it, maybe with a bit of rosemary and garlic stuffing to be sure it's moist.

I was really looking forward to good old fashioned roast lamb with rosemary and garlic, oh well, as long as it's good.

No idea how to make a stuffing using lambs fat though

SleighGirl - I'm in Zuid Holland (between Amsterdam and Rotterdam), been here for about 5 years. 'tis great! I've never been to Groningen, but I've heard a lot of good things about it.