Roast lamb is often reserved for special occasions due to its relatively high cost and the sophistication associated with it. So when you decide to splurge on a leg of lamb, you’d want to ensure it is flawlessly cooked. This flavorful and robust meat can be wonderfully succulent when handled correctly.

This roast leg of lamb recipe by Tasting Table recipe creator, Jennine Rye, incorporates a rich and sweet rum glaze that enhances the lamb while cooking, giving it a distinctive finish. The glaze is sticky, well-seasoned, and permeated with cinnamon and allspice flavors that blend well with the dark rum and brown sugar. The intense savory taste of the lamb is improved by the sweet and heavy rum glaze, resulting in a tasty and extremely satisfying meal that will unquestionably be the centerpiece. Find out how to repeat this recipe yourself and create a lamb dish you’ll want to recreate over and over again.

Additional reading: 11 Cleaning Tips For Keeping Your Oven Spotless

To start with this roasted leg of lamb with sweet rum glaze recipe, first gather all the ingredients. You will need a leg of lamb, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. For the rum glaze, you will need dark rum, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder, ground allspice, and cinnamon, as well as butter.

Remove the leg of lamb from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Pierce the skin of the lamb using a sharp knife, and push in the cloves of garlic. Season well with salt and pepper.

Place the leg of lamb into a roasting tin and place into the oven to roast for 45 minutes.

Place the dark rum, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, and butter into a small pan over a medium heat.

Simmer the mixture gently for five minutes, until it has reduced and thickened a bit. Then, take it off the heat.

Once 45 minutes have passed, take the lamb out of the oven.

Give the lamb a layer of glaze before putting it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Once again, extract the lamb from the oven, apply another coating of glaze, and place it back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Take the lamb out of the oven and let it sit, covered, for a quarter of an hour.

Segment and serve.

The thought of altering a recipe such as this roast lamb may seem intimidating, but the dish is less complicated than it appears, and can be customised to suit your individual tastes or requirements. Whilst this recipe requires leg of lamb, other lamb cuts can work equally well and may be more suitable for you. The shoulder is another lamb part that creates a highly flavourful roast, often more affordable than the leg. Furthermore, if you’re preparing a meal for two, you might consider using lamb neck for a luxurious yet perfectly portioned dinner.

While this recipe is ideally cooked in an oven, it also works just as effectively in an air fryer. So, if you’re a fan of the air fryer, why not give it a try? All you need to do is decrease the cooking time to 40-50 minutes and ensure that the deepest part of the lamb leg is cooked at 145 F prior to serving.

For varied flavour combinations, rosemary makes a traditional pairing with lamb and can be embedded into the lamb with the garlic before roasting. And, to modify the taste of the rum glaze, why not experiment with different spices? Cumin and coriander both mesh well with lamb, and add a delightful, somewhat more savory finish to the glaze.

Once you have perfectly roasted your lamb leg, you should thoughtfully select what you will serve alongside it to complement your dish. Fortunately, lamb is a versatile meat that goes well with a wide variety of side dishes, thus, you won’t be short of options. For a traditional pairing, consider roasting some potatoes or sweet potatoes with the lamb? They can be placed in the oven with the meat, and their crisp, crunchy outer layer will add texture and tasty flavor to your plate. Complete this off, simply serve with some steamed greens and a splash of lamb gravy.

Couscous and quinoa-based dishes also wonderfully complement lamb, and would make great side dishes for this meal. Roasted assorted vegetables, freshly cut herbs, roasted nuts, and pomegranate seeds all make great additions to these grain-based sides, and will introduce a heap of bright fresh flavor as well as being packed with nutrients. To round off the meal, we suggest pairing this lamb dish with a robust red wine such as a Malbec or cabernet sauvignon, though ultimately the choice is down to your personal preference.

Prep Time: 1hCook Time: 1h 10mYield: 4 ServingsIngredients

1 (2-pound) leg of lamb

10 garlic cloves

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons dark rum

¼ cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Remove the leg of lamb from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Pierce the skin of the lamb using a sharp knife, and push in the cloves of garlic. Season well with salt and pepper.

Place the leg of lamb into a roasting tin and place into the oven to roast for 45 minutes.

In a small pan over medium heat, add the dark rum, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, and butter.

Allow the mixture to simmer gently for 5 minutes, until it has reduced and thickened slightly. Remove from the heat.

After 45 minutes, remove the lamb from the oven.

Brush the lamb with a coating of glaze and then return it to the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven once more, brush with a second layer of glaze, and return to the oven to cook for 10 more minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven and allow it to rest, covered, for 15 minutes.

Carve and serve.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.