Lamb leg ... roast or casserole

[Roger Burton]

Probably an impossible question but which is preferred ? I love both, with a casserole there’s the bonus of the gravy but then with the roast I sometimes feel that the flavours that leached out into the casserole to make that delicious sauce stays in the joint for more flavourful meat .... I’d love to hear people’s thoughts ?

 

[flyinglentris]

Probably an impossible question but which is preferred ? I love both, with a casserole there’s the bonus of the gravy but then with the roast I sometimes feel that the flavours that leached out into the casserole to make that delicious sauce stays in the joint for more flavourful meat .... I’d love to hear people’s thoughts ?

Lamb gives off a lot of water and fat when cooked. But this gets especially so with Ground Lamb. Chopped Lamb gives off less and retains more and a cut of Lamb possibly less still. A complete unit of Lamb like a Joint or Ribs may retain more still of the fats and water. I think you need to look at things that way. So a Roast of a large unit of Lamb will retain more of the fatty flavors, while ground or chopped Lamb that you might put into a casserole, would give off more for Gravy, etc. I would also rather think that it depends upon the amount of time that you roast a large unit of Lamb. The more you roast it, the more it will loose its fat and water content since it will be steadily be bleeding out. And so, timing becomes an important factor to keep watch on, perhaps oven temperatures as well.

Searing the outside of a Lamb unit of meat is another matter which I don't feel I can comment on, but may help retain liquid and fat content.

 

[Morning Glory]

I love both, with a casserole there’s the bonus of the gravy but then with the roast I sometimes feel that the flavours that leached out into the casserole to make that delicious sauce stays in the joint for more flavourful meat .... I’d love to hear people’s thoughts ?

Do you mean whole leg of lamb in a casserole or chunks of lamb?

 

[epicuric]

the bonus of the gravy

Go with roast. Stud it with garlic, rosemary and anchovies, roast on a trivet of veg (celery, carrot, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, or whatever you have lying around). There won't be much fat coming off a leg, but was does will caramelise the veg underneath. When the meat is resting, adding boiling stock to the roasting pan will give the base for a wonderful gravy. Mash in the veg, strain, reduce, add red wine, reduce, thicken = stunning gravy.

Lamb gives off a lot of water and fat when cooked

I'm not familiar with how lamb is produced in the US, but over here it doesn't yield much water. Fat, yes from some cuts, but not the leg, which is very lean, and is well suited to cooking medium rare.

In the UK, we separate the lower part of the leg (the shank), which is a little fattier. This part I would always casserole/slow cook on a low heat (6+ hours) until the meat falls off the bone. This also produces excellent gravy.

 

[Morning Glory]

I'm not familiar with how lamb is produced in the US, but over here it doesn't yield much water. Fat, yes from some cuts, but not the leg, which is very lean, and is well suited to cooking medium rare.

Yes, I was a bit puzzled by the water comment from flyinglentris. You are right - lamb shanks are perfect for a casserole.

We need to mention that casserole in the US means something different than in the UK. In the UK a casserole is more like a stew, with a lot of gravy. In the US, a casserole is more like what we might call an 'oven bake' - much more of a solid dish. Its very confusing!

 

[Morning Glory]

In the US a casserole often looks like this:

In the UK it typically looks like this:

 

[Mountain Cat]

I prefer leg of lamb as a roast, but certainly won't turn it down made into a casserole. You can make a good gravy for the leg with the pan drippings.

Reading Morning Glory's post - yes I guess our definitions of casserole will vary. I'll take it either way! Although I think I'd prefer a leg more via the US style than the stew style of the UK - but there are indeed great stewing cuts on lamb that work awesomely for stew.

I like to braise lamb shanks. Low and slow.

 

[flyinglentris]

I'm not familiar with how lamb is produced in the US, but over here it doesn't yield much water. Fat, yes from some cuts, but not the leg, which is very lean, and is well suited to cooking medium rare.

Here, Lamb comes from US, Australian and New Zealand sources. In all cases, I've noted a high water content, compared to beef or pork.

 

[flyinglentris]

In the US a casserole often looks like this:

View attachment 53096

In the UK it typically looks like this:

View attachment 53097

What you show in the bottom photo is what we would call a Stew.

 

[Roger Burton]

Do you mean whole leg of lamb in a casserole or chunks of lamb?

Probably a half leg or shoulder MG

 

[Roger Burton]

Thanks chaps this first picture I consider a roast in an open pan and the second image is a casserole (lid removed). Whole piece in both cases, probably shoulder.

 

[epicuric]

Probably a half leg or shoulder MG

Huge difference in cooking times. Leg needs hot and fast, shoulder low and slow. Very different joints to cook.

 

[mjd]

In the US a casserole often looks like this:

View attachment 53096

In the UK it typically looks like this:

View attachment 53097

The second photo looks like what we (US) call stew. I've learned quite a bit about language differences since joining CB!