Why it works: Lamb and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,322 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
To Roast Lamb
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Roast
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place the lamb in the oven and roast until white gravy begins to drop from the joint, about 2 hours and 15 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Do not check the lamb too early to avoid overcooking the outside.
Finish roasting with a brisker fire for even cooking.
Serve
Serve with a little gravy made with water, adjusting the amount based on the size of the joint.
If desired, sprinkle finely minced parsley over the lamb 5 minutes before serving.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Lamb + parsleytop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,322 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hind quarter of lamb
- Forms the main meat, which cooks through slowly to become tender and juicy.
- Water
- Serves as the base for the gravy, thinning the pan juices into a pourable sauce.
The step that matters
Do not check the lamb too early. Opening the oven releases heat and lowers the temperature around the joint, so the outside can overcook while the centre is still catching up. Waiting until the gravy begins to drop keeps the cooking even.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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