By Guest Writer LMB

I don’t usually cook much red meat.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat it, but the roasts and shanks and shoulders that taste so good require several hours to prepare and a group effort to consume. Neither of which is generally readily available to me.

But this week, I’m at the beach with a group of friends, so I have both the time and the audience to prepare some delicious oversized animal body part.

Someone suggested leg of lamb.  An excellent proposal.  But, as I was pondering how to prepare the roast, my mind immediately jumped to the toxic green-colored mint jelly product that my mother always served with her lamb.  And then I got an idea.

I had recently picked up Monica Bhide’s newest Indian cookbook, Modern Spice, and was entranced by the sound of many of her chutneys.  I had brought the cookbook to the beach, hoping to have a chance to try out one or two of them.

So our meal was decided: Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint-Cilantro Chutney (and a jar of the toxic green mint jelly for old times sake.)

 Lamb with Mint-Cilantro Chutney

Roast Lamb

• 5 lb boneless leg of lamb
• 3-4 tblsp rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

Peel and slice garlic.  Cut slits in the top of the lamb.  Insert garlic slices into the cuts.  Pour olive oil over the lamb.  Sprinkle with salt.  Coat the lamb with rosemary.  Loosely cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place lamb on a rack in a broiler pan.  Put lamb in oven and immediately reduce the heat to 325 degrees.  Roast the meat 20-30 minutes per pound, 20 minutes for medium rare and 30 minutes per pound for medium-well done meat.

Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

While meat is cooking, make the chutney.

Mint-Cilantro Chutney

Adapted from Monica Bhide’s Modern Spice

• 1 cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems, packed loosely
• 1 cup mint leaves, packed loosely   
• ¼ onion, chopped
• 2 Tblsp lemon juice
• ½  tsp salt
• 1-2 Tblsp water

Combine all ingredients in a blender, or in a bowl if using a hand blender, and blend to form a  smooth paste.  Cover and refridgerate for at least 30 minutes.  Serve chilled.