Sous Vide Lamb

Oven-roasting a lamb joint to perfection can be a tricky proposition, but cooking it sous vide takes all the guesswork out of it. I made this because I was trying out a new sous vide immersion circulator I'd been given. I was surprised to see how prices have fallen - you can now pick up a decent SV immersion circulator for £60-£70 - that's less than half what I had to pay for my original one 3 years ago.

Heat your SV setup to 55°C (131°F) for medium-rare, 60°C (140°F) for medium. Pat the lamb dry and peel and mince the garlic. Rub the lamb all over with oil and garlic, and liberally season with salt and pepper. Pop the lamb into vacuum sealer or ziplock bag along with the sprig of rosemary. If using vac-pac, seal the bag and pop it in the water. If using ziplock, pop the bag in the water, make sure as much air as possible is expelled and zip it shut. The lamb should be cooked after 5½ hours, but giving it another 2 or 3 hours will make it more tender.

After cooking, remove the lamb from its bag, discard the rosemary and sear the meat all over in a very hot pan. Put the meat on a warmed plate, and cover with foil to rest for 15 minutes. You can use any meat juices to make a gravy. Serve with new potatoes and steamed vegetables.