Recipe - Roast Lamb Provencal with Mint Gravy

So many great lamb recipes come from Provence, and with good reason. The French are the masters when it comes to preparing lamb. The following is one of my favorites and would make a delicious meat course for any Easter table.

Roast Lamb Provencal with Mint Gravy

Ingredients:

1 (6 to 7 pound) leg of lamb
Garlic
Flour
Salt and pepper
Rosemary (preferably fresh)
Water
Dry white wine
Bunch of fresh mint
5 T. granulated sugar
Cider vinegar

Note - The Mint Sauce should be made in advance of baking the lamb. Be sure to read the instructions thoroughly before beginning.

Directions:

Mint Sauce

1. Remove all leaves and the tender tips of the stems from a bunch of fresh mint.

2. Chop them very fine.

3. Place in a deep bowl and add 5 rounded tablespoons of sugar.

4. Cover this completely with cider vinegar.

5. Stir well and cover.

6. Let stand about 6 hours, stirring every hour.

Roast Lamb

1. Insert a number of slivers of garlic into the lamb so they are distributed throughout the meat.

2. Sprinkle the top of the leg of lamb with flour, salt, and pepper, and rosemary.

3. Place lamb in a roaster.

4. Pour 1 C. dry white wine and 1 C. water in the covered roaster.

5. Place in a 500 degree F. oven.

6. Bake for 1/2 hour (30 minutes) until lamb begins to brown and a crust begins to form on top.

7. Baste.

8. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and let the lamb bake for 2 hours, basting about each half hour.

9. After 2 hours, skim off the grease and cook another half hour.

10. Add equal portions of water and wine as needed.

11. At the end of the cooking time, remove lamb to a hot platter. If juices have concentrated too much add a little more wine.

12. Make a flour and water paste.

13. In a separate saucepan put 3 tablespoons of flour and a couple of pinches of salt.

14. Begin mixing this well with dripping cold water.

15. Keep whipping constantly as the water is added, until it has a creamy consistency.

16. Stir the paste flour slowly, into the juices of the roasting pan, until the juices have thickened.

17. The gravy should be thicker than the average gravy as the Mint Sauce to be added will thin it.

18. When gravy is smooth, add Mint Sauce and stir thoroughly.

Enjoy your Easter dinner.