So your significant other is coming over for dinner tonight - with their family. All of which, by the way, expect you to have prepared a particularly tasty meal, since you recently told them you were an amazing cook, so 'why not bring the family over for dinner sometime?' Not the ideal situation, since you were lying. You're nervous. Scared. The clock ticks ominously. What, you think, should I do?

What to Do

This entry does not endorse lying as such, but nevertheless here's a very good, easy-to-prepare meal which will get you out of that predicament. You'll be making roasted leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary - enough to serve 6 - 8 people. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

• 2 - 2.5kg leg of lamb¹
• 1 - 1.5kg potatoes
• 1 - 2 onions
• 1 - 2 green bell peppers
• Garlic (as much as you like)
• Rosemary (fresh or dried)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Turn on the oven, and set the temperature to 150° - 170°C.

2. Dry off the leg and rub it in with salt and pepper. Sometimes there's a quality mark stamped on by the butcher - slice this off with a sharp knife².

3. With the same sharp knife, cut small pockets and stick in thin slivers of garlic and small sprigs of rosemary. How much depends on how much you love garlic. Let's say 1 - 4 cloves. If you don't have fresh rosemary, you can use dried. Crush it a bit in a mortar and rub it in. There's usually so much fat in the meat that you don't need to add any. A light brush of olive oil if you insist...

4. Now it's time to stick in the thermometer. Stick it in the thickest part of the thigh, and make sure it doesn't hit the bone.

5. Wash and slice the potatoes (enough for the aforementioned 6 - 8 people) lengthwise (boat-shaped wedges). Do the same with a couple of onions and green bell peppers. Put the vegetables in the dish around the leg of lamb. Brush lightly with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. And why not throw in a handful of garlic cloves, whole and just peeled? They will bake nicely along with the rest and add a lovely nutty taste.

Now We're Cooking!

Put the dish near the bottom of the oven. The cooking will take 2 - 2.5 hours, depending on how your oven works. The meat is nice and pink when the thermometer shows 70°C. Pay attention the last half hour because at 76°C it's really done!

Serve with green salad and lots and lots of good red wine.

Enjoy!

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¹ A lot of people are afraid to cook such large quantities of meat - they think it's too difficult. Well, it shouldn't be. The trick is to use a cooking thermometer.
² This is purely for aesthetical reasons.