Lamb leg stuffed with Mediterranean flavors, sous vide then grilled

We wanted to repeat something we improvised a while ago that turned out really well: lamb leg stuffed with mediterranean herbs from our window boxes. It was a thick cut so we cooked it low with sous vide to ensure it was fully cooked, then flashed on the grill to brown a little. 

Rose-pink meat with green lines from the rosemary paste

Our local markets (Sant Antoni, Ninot) have proper butchers, about half of which sell lamb (Spanish "cordero", Catalan "xai"). The cut from the front leg is "espalda", the back is "pierna" (Spanish) or "cuixa" (Catalan); the cuixa on display looked like a better shape for stuffing, and was under 12€/Kg. I asked the butcher to remove the bone, and he cut it up so we could use it for soup. Our leg of lamb was 1175g without bones. I opened it up, cut off a piece outside a rough rectangle leaving about 935 g (2 pounds).

We've got a healthy crop of Rosemary and Parsley, and a meager amount of Mint; we figured the salt and umami from Anchovies would go well. All the quantities below are flexible. Basically, flatten the meat, smear with a flavorful paste, roll up, cook long and slow, then sear.

This should serve 4-6.

935 g       Lamb leg, boned out, trimmed
  3 sticks  Rosemary, leaves stripped off stem
  1 bunch   Mint, leaves only
  4 cloves  Garlic
  8         Anchovies (from a jar)
 to taste   Salt
 60 ml      Extra Virgin Olive Oil, approx
 ??         Preserved Lemon, chopped coarse

Cut between the muscles of the Lamb to flatten a bit, being careful not to cut through it.
Slash the meat to provide more surface area for the paste, but don't cut through.

In a mini food processor, whiz Rosemary, Mint, Garlic, Anchovies, Salt, and EVOO; process to a smooth paste, adding more EVOO if needed.

I intended to coarsely chop some Preserved Lemons that Irene made based on the Modernist Cuisine tomes, but forgot until after I'd tied everything up -- next time!
Spread the paste over the meat, pressing into the slashes.
Roll up as a spiral.
Tie snugly with butcher's string.

I wrapped this in plastic film to prevent Oil being sucked out by the vaccuum sealer but this may not have been necessary.
Put in a sous vide bag and seal on the "liquid" setting to avoid pulling out the oil from the paste.

Cook 3.5 hours at 57C/135F which I took from Serious Eats, hoping for some pink but not floppy rare; he says that 2 hours should be enough, but I wanted to be safe: the rolled meat is thick, so it will take a while for the heat to penetrate.
When done, remove from bag and catch any juices.
Brown over a hot BBQ fire, like these folks do, about 5 minutes a side.

Seared on the barbecue

Slice with strings still attached for neater cuts, and serve.

Next Time...

The color was a beautiful rose-pink, with almost no loss of juice from the meat, maybe 60 ml (2 ounces), so I think 57C is  a good temperature. The lamb we get here in Barcelona is obviously different than the rather tender cuts we got in the States -- a bit more toothsome, but I didn't need a steak knive; I might increase the sous vide time to perhaps 5 hours to tenderize a bit more.

The rosemary paste was good, flavorful, and I'd use that again -- hopefully I'll remember the preserved lemons!

There were some tough gristly bits: trim the outside sinew better. 

Lamb fat melts at 56-60C, so our sous vide should have released some, but we saw almost no liquid in the bag and after cutting. When we put it on the grill fat did melt and cause flare-ups. Grill carefully, and lower the heat to tame any raging flames.

One Serious Eats post stuffs the leg with a black olives, and I think the briny tart flavor of a tapenade sounds like a good idea.