Following on from yesterday’s post – here’s our first attempt at roast lamb in the Römertopf clay baker!
We rubbed our two and a half kilo leg of lamb with a little extra virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary and salt, then studded it with small pieces of garlic. In order to fit it into the presoaked clay pot, we had to cut the leg into two pieces (there is a convenient joint where the shank connects to the upper part of the leg). Once divided, the lamb fit neatly into the Römertopf over a bed of potatoes.
The covered baker went into a cold oven, which was then set at 200C with fan. It was baked for two hours with the lid on, and then uncovered for a further half an hour to allow the meat to brown. As the pot is presoaked prior to use, the lamb is both steamed and roasted as it bakes. The pot allows a little flexibility with cooking times and, as an added bonus, the oven stays nice and clean.
The end result was a tender, moist, well done leg of lamb (Pete’s too old school for pink lamb) which provided both dinner that night, and shepherd’s pie the following day!
I want a sandwich with some yoghurt and mint dressing please….Looks lovely!
I had never even heard of these before reading these two posts, but they sound fantastic! So fantastic that I’ve already started investigating their availability here in the US; you’re right that the glazed Römertopf doesn’t seem to be available, but I’ve found another maker, Schlemmertopf, which has the inside glaze and is imported from Germany. And at very reasonable prices too! Going on the wish list, thanks for the info!
Nancy, that one looks very good too!
Oh, in case anyone’s interested, I emailed Romertopf a few weeks ago to ask about their glaze, and they wrote back to reassure me that all their clay and glazes are lead-free (not that I doubted it, but it wasn’t in the promotional material).
Mmmmh, Yum! You’ve convinced me – I’ve just ordered a Romertopf from Peter’s.
Sharron, I hope you love it as much as I do! I was trying a new bread recipe yesterday, and didn’t have time to fuss over dinner, so I threw a cup of rice, a chopped leek, pancetta, carrot, oregano and onion into the bottom of the soaked pot, then laid eight Italian sausages over the top. Poured in a cup and a half of water, forgot about the salt altogether (but luckily the pancetta and sausages had enough seasoning). Total prep time, not including soaking time for the pot, was less than ten minutes. Into the cold oven and out again an hour and a half later and onto the dinner table!
Best of all, when it had all been eaten, I just rubber spatula’d the leftover rice off the bottom, leaving the stuck on bits, then put the whole thing into the dishwasher. When I pulled it out this morning, it was 95% clean – the last little bits of rice just rinsed off in cold water.
I’m hoping it will work for those nights when I am running around with all the kids sporting activities and we can just come home to dinner already cooked. Oh and the idea of just one pot to clean …..Thanks for all the inspiration.