Internationally recognized Irish Chef Stuart O’Keeffe is a weekly food contributor for Dublin’s Evening Herald newspaper and in 2011 he debuted his own cooking show, Stuart’s Kitchen (airing in Ireland and New Zealand). Currently residing in Los Angeles, he hosts Kitchen Daily 101 on AOL. Stuart’s philosophy is to cook “hearty but healthy”, marrying the old world goodness of Ireland with the abundant fresh offerings of California.

Ingredients 

1 - 5lb leg of lamb, bone in

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

7-10 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

3 tablespoons thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon salt 

1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper

Sauce

4 tablespoons mixed herbs, parsley and chives, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 ½ cups chicken stock

¾ cup red wine, such as a cabernet

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

  2. With your hands, rub the lamb with lemon juice. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary and thyme and press onto the lamb using your fingers to adhere to the meat.

  3. Season the meat with the salt and pepper, place in a roasting pan.

  4. Put the lamb in the oven for 25-30minutes to seal the meat.

  5. Reduce temperature to 350°F and continue to cook for a further 1 hour and 20 minutes for medium.

  6. Remove the lamb from the pan, cover with foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Sauce

  1. Place the pan on the stove top. Bring to a high heat and sauté the onions for 3 minutes. 

  2. Add chicken stock and wine to deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon. 

  3. Reduce over a high heat until until the sauce coats the back of the spoon and has a nice semi thick consistency. 

  4. Slice the lamb and serve with the sauce.
Check out Stuart's Facebook page & website for culinary tips, recipes and food travels.