slow roast leg of lamb with potatoes

My aunt Vasso made a beautiful roast on New Year's Day, as part of the big New Year's Day celebration in our family.  She and my uncle Angelo owned a fine dining establishment in Manchester, New Hampshire - the Renaissance Restaurant - which saw the likes of US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton (and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler) enjoy their culinary creations.

Aunt Vasso is an excellent chef, and very generous with sharing her recipe below.  The gravy that accompanied this beautiful meat was my own creation.  Somewhere between Manchester, NH and Oxford, England, the recipe I transcribed for this monumental dish got lost.  My cousin Helen thankfully sent it to me.....I am providing the charming recipe with my Aunt Vasso's exact words (for anyone who understands Greek, they will appreciate this).

Great to be back in the UK.  Peace in Gaza and Israel and the rest of this little planet of ours.  Over the coming year, I will be taking on some really cool projects with respect to food and writing about food!  Happy and healthy 2009.

Ingredients

Lamb and marinade

• 1 "semi- boneless" lamb leg -- (8-9 pound lamb leg -- 8/2 lbs average). ("na min psahni na vri 8-9 pounds me horis "bone", then tha vri" (wash in cold water)
• salt (1 tsp), pepper (1 tsp) and a little oregano (1/2 tsp) (to alatizis -- to parspalizoume me alati, piperi kai rinangi 
• juice from 1/2 large lemon
• olive oil (1/4 cup) -- mix together and add onto the lamb
• 2 garlic cloves (vasis to skordo kapou -- garlic should be on the lamb somewhere -- not at the bottom of the pan)

Potatoes

• alati (1tsp), piperri (1 tsp) kai ligi rigini (1/4 tsp)
• lemoni (one big lemon for both lamb and potatoes)
• ladi (1/4 olive oil) (1/2 cup altogether for both lamb and potatoes) kai ligi paprika (1/2 tsp altogether for lamb and potatoes) stis patates. 

1. "To vasis sto tapsi". Put nice side of lamb on bottom so when you turn it over, the nice side is on the top again. 
   
2. Put a little paprika (sprinkle on top)
3. "vavis patates na kripsi to meros". Patates (the potatoes) - tis kathariesis, kai tis kovis i ama eine mikres, tis vasis etsi."
4. Add 3/4 cup water to pan -- not too much because "meta tha gini san soupa!" :)
5. Place lamb in a preheated oven of 450 degrees F.
6. 450 for 20 minutes, then 400 for 15 minutes, after that, 350 for another 20 minutes, after that 325 until its done (for a couple hours or so). Total should be about 3 hours total.
7. After that, let it sit for "10 to 15 minutes", and then cut. (Should let sit for a few minutes before cutting.)
   

To arni eina "semi boneless".