Best Roast Lamb

This delicious recipe is by British cook, Simon Hopkinson. You may think that anchovies are a strange ingredient to season a roast, but they do perform magic. Anchovies are the secret ingredient to Worcestershire Sauce, so the idea of using them as seasoning is not far-fetched at all (and think of Thai Fish Sauce!). Free your mind, and the rest will follow.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2-2  kg leg of lamb
• 2 (50 g) cans anchovies
• 1  bunch fresh rosemary
• 4  large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced lengthways into three
• 75  g butter, softened black pepper
• 375  ml dry white wine
• 1  lemon
• 1  bunch watercress, juice, to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7/425°F With a small sharp knife, make about 12 incisions 5cm deep in the fleshy side of the joint. Insert a piece of garlic, half an anchovy and a small sprig of rosemary into each incision. Push all of them right in with your little finger. Cream the butter with any remaining anchovies and smear it all over the surface of the meat. Grind over plenty of black pepper. Place the lamb in a roasting tin and pour the wine around. Tuck in any leftover sprigs of rosemary and pour over the lemon juice. Put in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
2. Turn the oven temperature down to 180C/Gas 4/360F and roast the lamb for a further hour, or slightly more, depending on how you like your meat. Baste from time to time with the winey juices. Take the meat out of the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving.
3. Taste the juices and see if any salt is necessary - it shouldn't be, because of the anchovies. During roasting, the wine should have reduced and mingled with the meat juices and anchovy butter to make a delicious gravy. If it's too thin, a quick bubble on the hob should improve the consistency. Mashed potato is good with this.