Provençal Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Olive Crust

Fit for Company, Great Leftovers, Wood-Fired Oven

The Provence region of France produces some of the finest olives in the Mediterranean. Often ground and blended with olive oil to make a paste called tapenade, they are also an important ingredient in Provençal stews and other braises. You can purchase tapenade in small jars in the specialty food area of most supermarkets. Do not use the mild flavored canned black olives from California; do make sure to use extra-virgin olive oil. To oven-roast the lamb, see Cook’s Notes.

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive Paste
• ¼ cup French black olive tapenade or ½ cup Nyons or kalamata olives, pitted
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more if needed
• 1 4- to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Paste: If starting with pitted olives, place them in a food processor and pulse several times to chop, then add the remaining paste ingredients. Otherwise, combine the tapenade with the remaining paste ingredients in the processor and pulse to form a soft paste. If too dry, add olive oil as needed.
2. If your lamb is tied or netted, untie or remove the netting and lay the lamb flat, fat side up. Trim most of the external fat, then place the lamb in a baking dish or shallow bowl and generously rub the paste all over it. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 2 hours at room temperature, or for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Before grilling, remove the lamb from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
4. Set up a charcoal or gas grill for indirect heat (see more on grilling).
5. Place the lamb, fat side down, directly over a medium-hot fire (do not remove the olive paste) and sear for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it begins to color and brown. Turn and repeat on the boned side of the lamb. Transfer to the area of the grill without a fire, fat side up, cover the grill, and continue to grill for 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 125°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast. This area will yield medium-rare meat, while thinner areas will be more well-done (if you like rare lamb, remove it when it has an internal temperature of 110°F to 115°F). Let the lamb rest on a platter, loosely tented with aluminum foil, for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
6. Slice lamb into ¼-inch-thick slices and serve.

ALTERNATIVE CUT:

• Bone-in leg (cook over indirect heat only for 50 to 70 minutes, or until done); rack of lamb (reduce cooking over direct heat to 2 to 3 minutes per side and over indirect heat, 20 to 25 minutes); boneless or bone-in goat leg.

COOK’S NOTE:

• This is an ideal roast for your wood-fired oven. Don’t sear the lamb. Place it in a heavy roasting pan, fat side up. Insert a cable-type digital continuous-read thermometer in the lamb. Pop the pan into your oven when the oven temperature reaches about 450°F, and roast until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 120°F. Let rest for 20 minutes, loosely tented with aluminum foil; the temperature will rise to around 135°F.
• To roast the lamb in an ordinary oven, preheat it to 450°F. Place the lamb in a heavy roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches 125°F, about 40 minutes. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes, loosely tented with aluminum foil, before carving.

LEFTOVER:

• Use for lamb sandwiches.
• Thinly slice the lamb and serve over salad greens with a lemony vinaigrette.