I have juniper of indeterminate age and a dearth of recipes for them (red cabbage anyone?),
I have access to a bay tree looking distinctly leggy and in need of a good trim.
And the ever excellent Brady's of Fairview has been selling leg of lamb on special offer for a while now.
What could possibly go wrong? Well for one thing Mr Kerridge is quite a full-on chap, and the last time I was swept along by his enthusiasm (roast fillet of beef in treacle), it was an expensive disappointment. And this recipe just seemed to be so weird. But decided to give it a go anyway.
Step one was to score dry roast juniper berries and salt then grind to a dry rub. Slash the lamb and rub well, massage with oil and thyme, wrap in clingfilm then leave in the fridge overnight. Simples.
Step two, starting at 1pm the next day, cut a veritable wreath of bay leaves and lash all around the lamb till no flesh is visible.
Sweat off a mirepoix (with emphasis on the celery) in a roasting tin, cover with a few cm of water, then place the camoflaged lamb on top on trivet. Wrap with tinfoil then put in at 150 degrees for 5 hours. More simples, but I still have a sense of unease over this strange combination of ingredients.
Couple hours later and the kitchen has gone from smelling like a parfumerie to a soap factory.
An hour to go and the smells aren't quite so pungent, or else my nostrils are desensitised.
Come the time to serve, expectations are being managed - "I'm not totally sure about this", "You have to try new things" :
Unwrap the foliage and still not looking great:
However....
(btw, turns out this is a traditional combination of ingredients from Tuscany)
