Pressed Lamb Recipes

Steps:

• To prepare brine: add salt, sugar, and saltpeter to boiling water; stir until all are dissolved.
• Remove from heat and chill.
• Remove bones and sinew from meat and wash and dry thoroughly.
• Sew pieces together for large square or rectangle.
• Flatten out and sprinkle on entire surface salt, pepper, allspice, onion, parsley, and saltpeter.
• Also be sure to cut off all the meat from the bones and spread scraps over the surface.
• Roll very tightly and hold with a meat fork while sewing ends and sides.
• Tie around as you would a rolled roast and place in the brine, which should be chilled thoroughly.
• After 10 days, remove meat from brine and cover with boiling water.
• Boil slowly for 2 hours.
• Place in press until cold.
• If you do not have a press, place between two flat surfaces and place a weight on top.
• The weight should be evenly distributed.
• Slice thin as a cold cut or on open-faced sandwiches.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use a small sharp knife to make about a dozen incisions, each about 2 inches deep, through the fat that covers the top of the meat. Using a mortar and pestle or a blender, blend 2/3 of the anchovies (or 2/3 of the mustard if using), the rosemary leaves and the garlic cloves into a chunky paste. Using your fingers, press paste deeply into incisions.
• Mix remaining anchovies (or mustard) and the butter into a paste. Smear this mixture all over the surface of the roast. Season liberally with black pepper. (Do not add salt; the anchovies are salty enough, and so is the mustard.) Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up, and squeeze the lemon halves over. Pour the wine around the roast into the pan.
• Roast 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and roast until internal temperature reaches 130 to 135 degrees (for medium-rare or medium meat), about another 60 to 90 minutes. Baste every 20 minutes or so with the wine and drippings in the pan, adding more wine as needed to keep the liquid from scorching. If possible, for the last 15 minutes of cooking, use convection or a broiler to crisp the fat on the roast.
• Remove pan from the oven, remove rack from the pan, and let the roast rest on the rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes in a warm place, tented with foil. The internal temperature will rise to about 140 to 145 degrees.
• To make sauce from the pan drippings, remove a few tablespoons of fat by tipping the pan and spooning off the top layer. Put the pan over medium heat until the liquid simmers. Taste the simmering liquid and whisk in more wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the consistency and flavor are right. Do not let the mixture become syrupy; it should be a sharp jus, not a thick gravy.
• Carve lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a heated platter, decorated with rosemary sprigs. Serve with piping hot gravy.