Ingredients
3 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
2tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 leg of lamb about 2.5kg
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled, chopped in half through the equator
600g-1kg small waxy potatoes (depending how hungry you are)
2 lemons, quartered
3 fresh bay leaves
200ml dry white wine
salt and pepper
bread and spinach salad to serve with
If you have a wood oven, get it up to temperature (about 180 degrees), push the fire to the back and close the door to keep heat in. Otherwise set your oven to about 140 degrees
In a bowl, mix together oil, oregano and thyme and rub it all over the lamb. Place the lamb in a large ovenproof dish that you can close with a lid or foil
place the garlic, potatoes, lemons and bay leaves around the lamb, pour in the wine and season with salt and pepper.
Put foil over the dish and put the lid on - or use a couple of extra layers of foil to get a really good seal on the dish
Put the dish in the oven and close the door. Cook for 3-4 hours (if you need to plan an end time, use the longest time it wont hurt the meat at all) - in fact you can turn the oven off and leave the dish for another hour if you want, it is very flexible
Remove from the oven and serve at the table, allowing people to pull off hunks of meat and meltingly soft potatoes
Method
Although being posted as Autumn starts, this was made in high summer - one of those rare days in England with a mediterranean feel to it. We fired up the wood-oven at lunchtime and made pizza and then put this in, closed up the oven and let it cook slowly for hours. We shared it with friends and it was a fabulous treat, a rare combination of good food, good weather and good friends that makes a memorable evening.
Although a leg of lamb is specified, I actually made this with 2 half shoulders - primarily because there weren't any legs available at the butchers. The shoulders obviously had more fat in them, which made the end result more unctuous but the slow cooking renders the fat and the potatoes cook in it. It all went, and it was delicious. I am giving this a 10 purely because of the food memory - the dish probably merits an 8, but this is my blog so my rules.
Incidentally you can of course cook this in a normal oven! Just slow cook around 140 degrees I would guess