Garlic and Lavender Rubbed Leg of Lamb

Since I started cooking as a hobby, I have become more and more interested in what are known as "foodways." Generally, a "foodway" is the eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region or historical period. Some of the most interesting perspectives - at least in my humble opinion - come from a viewpoint of a people in a region over a period of time (that is, essentially combining all three components of a foodway). There many different foodways, but, one in particular grabbed ahold of my attention and pushed me to learn more. It is the African-American foodway. 

The eating habits and culinary practices of African-Americans was undeniably "molded in the crucible of enslavement." Africans were uprooted from their homes and forcibly brought to the New World. Yet, they did not leave everything behind. As is well documented in the works of culinary historicans and authors, such as Jessica B. Harris and Michael W. Twitty, they brought some of those habits and practices with them. Africans were then forced to adjust under circumstances marked by deprivation and dehumanization. Nevertheless, enslaved Africans were able to develop their own foods, cooking practices, and cuisine. Put differently, in the words of Randy Fertel of the Fertel Foundation, they were "making a way of no way and taking advantage of disadvantages." 

I came across an article on Epicurious by Gabrielle Carter, who is a cultural preservationist who uses food to reimagine, among other things, marginalized food systems. She wrote about what she would serve at a dinner party after emerging from the COVID pandemic. The centerpiece of that dinner was a roasted leg of lamb. The recipe comes from Jessica B. Harris, and it includes what Carter describes as a "fragrant paste of garlic, lavender and other herbs." 

Apart from the connection to my exploration of African-American foodways, it was this paste that also caught my attention. I have been wanting to make a dish that incorporated lavender. During the COVID pandemic, my family took a camping trip in rural Maryland. As we made our way back home, we stopped at a local lavender farm. I had purchased some "culinary lavender" to use in recipes, but I did not have any such recipes at the time. When I came across the recipe from Jessica Harris, which was introduced to me by the article written by Gabrielle Harris, I knew that I had to make this leg of lamb. 

While I have used lavender in recipes in the past, I think this recipe represents the first time that I used the ingredient successfully in a recipe. The aroma and the flavor of the lavender was just right, present enough to know that it was there, but not to overpowering or offsetting to throw off either the smell or the taste of the roasted lamb.

GARLIC AND LAVENDER RUBBED LEG OF LAMB

Recipe by Jessica B. Harris, available on Epicurious

Serves Several

Ingredients:

• 1 leg half bone-in leg of lamb (4 to 5 pounds)
• 6 large garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely ground sea salt
• 2 tablespoons mixed peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

Directions:

1. Prepare the leg of lamb. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  If the butcher has not already removed the fell (parchment like membrane) from the lamb leg, trim it away along with the excess fat.  Using the tip of a sharp knife, make 15 or so small incisions in the leg, spacing them evenly. 

2. Prepare the rub. Place the garlic, lavender and thyme in a small food processor and pulse until you have a thick paste.  Poke a bit of the paste into each of the incisions in the lamb. Place the salt, peppercorns, dried rosemary and herbes de Provence in a spice grinder and pulse until you have a coarse mix.  Rub the mix all over the lamb, covering it evenly. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan.

3. Roast the lamb. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to roast for about 1 hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part away from the bone registers 130 degrees Fahrenheit for rare, or 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare.  Remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. 

4. Finish the dish. Carve the lamb parallel to the bone in long thin slices and arrange the slices on the platter. Transfer the warm sauce to a sauceboat and serve immediately. 

ENJOY!