Generally speaking, I am not that good at following recipes. I prefer to think of recipes as vague reference points or guidelines rather than hard and fast rules and I can get really far afield when I cook. But for a recent French dinner I bought a $70 butterflied leg of lamb (don’t know why I think that a leg of lamb is REALLY quintessentially French, but I do) and I wasn’t gonna tempt fate (ruin a fabulous piece of meat). I found a recipe(from my physical therapist, actually) and followed it exactly. Right down to measuring my rosemary, peeling all the goddam garlic, shoving the scores of slivers into holes I poked in the meat and rubbing the marinade onto the thing by hand (which I hate).
From there is was a 24 hour marination and then a 7 hour turn in the oven with frequent basting. I hate basting. But it was worth it. Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures after I sliced it to serve. Falling apart goodness swathed with garlic and rosemary. I’m usually too frantic to get it on the table.
Enfin, c’étais fabuleux, même si je le dis moi-même.
