Roast Lamb with Anchovy & Rosemary Recipe | Russell Norman, Venice

Remove the lamb leg from the fridge half an hour before starting your preparation. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas 4. Roughly chop the garlic and place in a large mortar with half the rosemary, a hearty twist of pepper and a very good pinch or two of salt. Open one of the tins of anchovies and place them, oil and all, in the mortar. Pound enthusiastically with the pestle for a few minutes, until you have a rough paste. Set aside. Take a very sharp knife with a point and make half a dozen 3cm deep incisions into the lamb leg at even intervals. Place it in a large, deep-sided roasting tray. Work the holes open a little with your finger. Now push a teaspoonful of the paste into each hole with a single anchovy from the second tin and an equal amount of the remaining rosemary. Pour any leftover oil from the mortar on top of the lamb leg and rub all over with your oily hands. Pour half the wine into the bottom of the tray. Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil (but don’t throw it away) and baste the lamb with its juices, then turn the oven up to 200˚C/gas 6 and roast for a further 45 minutes or so, until golden brown. Remove the leg, place on a board and cover loosely with the retained foil. Rest for at least 15 minutes. Place the roasting tray over a high flame and get the juices bubbling, scraping the sticky bits from the bottom and sides. Add the remaining wine and reduce the liquid for a few minutes until syrupy and rich. Pour into a warmed sauceboat. Slice the lamb leg and serve with the sauce at the table. This goes rather well with Venetian potatoes.