Roast leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary

Ingredients
2.3 kg leg of lamb, on the bone
2 large garlic cloves
5 stalks fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
salt
ground black pepper

Method
1.Remove the lamb from the fridge and allow it to get to room temperature.Preheat the oven to 150C .
2.Make the garlic and rosemary butter. Peel the garlic cloves and grate them finely with a grater. Place into a bowl with the butter.
3.Strip the leaves off the rosemary stalks and chop finely. Add to the bowl with the peeled garlic  into a bowl . Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and rub all over the meat.

4.Place the lamb in a roasting tin, cover loosely with foil and place in the preheated oven. Cook the lamb for 1 hour 15 minutes if you want it pink, or 1 hour 30 minutes if you like it more well done. If you have a meat thermometer (see right) 85C mean joint is cooked. 
5.At the end of cooking time, remove the lamb from the oven and leave it to rest in the roasting tin for 10-15 minutes, with some foil on top to keep it warm.
6.To serve, slice the lamb and pour over the gravy. and serve with the roast potatoes, mint sauce and some seasonal vegetables,for a Sunday lunch.


***Roast a leg of lamb for 20 minutes per 500g , plus 10 minutes more. Allow it to rest for a good 15 minutes before serving to ensure the juices redistribute, making a perfect roast.***