How to Grill a Leg of Lamb

I love grilled lamb. It reminds me of old greek literature when they always said they took the lamb and 'roasted it to a turn'. I think of Odysseus and his companions eating Polyphemus sheep... Anyway, something about grilled leg of lamb is so old-worldish, and when the spring comes, there's just nothing better than building a big ole fire outside and grilling a huge piece of meat on it, to sit down with friends around the table and share.

You will need one leg of lamb, butterflied (that means they took the bones out). If you ask the butcher specially, he may be able to butterfly one for you which might work out well because for grilling you want uniform thickness, but pre-butterflied leg of lamb is not necessarily uniform thickness. Anyway, if you have a crowd that wants various degrees of done ness, then variable thickness is okay.

Marinate the lamb with a mixture of:

apple juice concentrate
apple cider vinegar
minced mint
minced rosemary
ground cardamom
ground allspice
ground cloves (you will need a mortar and pestle for this job...)
dijon mustard (the french kind)
brown mustard (I used Cleveland ballpark mustard in honor of Ohio Boy)
cayenne pepper (that's the secret ingredient so don't say I'm holding out on you!)

Let it sit overnight. Flip it in the morning, and try not to eat any because it will smell ridiculously good.

Prepare a hot fire. Grill the lamb until it reaches internal temperature of 130. No matter what the peanut gallery tells you, believe your thermometer, or you will have to put it back on the grill later. Whatever you do, don't put your drink down.

To go with it, mashed sweet potatoes. They have to be cut 1/2" thick to go on the grill. Too thin and they will fall apart. Too thick and they will not cook through. Coat them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Throw them on the grill around the lamb. Turn them after a few minutes when they have nice grill marks on the back. Cook until done. Which is to say when they taste good, they're done. Take them off and mash them in a bowl. Add some cream. You don't need any butter because you should have used a significant amount of olive oil to coat them and you should use the leftovers for basting and adding to the mash. Then add salt & pepper, and the secret ingredient here is balsamic vinegar I know it sounds crazy but the tanginess of the balsamic really contrasts well with the sweetness of the potatoes, and since you grilled them the whole thing takes on this smoky flavor which is just great. Gosh I am making myself hungry. Anyway, mash them with a masher, then put them on the kitchenaid, and whip them until they are totally smooth and fluffy. You can wait to add the cream and balsamic until they are on the kitchenaid. Be sure they taste good, then serve them up with the lamb.

Buon Appetito!