Roasted Leg of Lamb in an Herb Mustard Crust

I was going to roast the leg of lamb over potatoes, onions and tomatoes, but looked at the menu and thought it all too starchy. So I opted for a classic method, but improved it with some interesting herbs.

I like a 9 lb leg. It tends to have better flavor and roasts better than the typical 5-6 lb legs. You need a good-sized roasting pan for a 9 pounder. I had my butcher saw off about three inches (save that bone for lamb stock!), and it still had to go slightly diagonally to fit.

I went out to the herb garden and picked fresh rue, Greek oregano, thyme, lovage, winter savory, lemon balm and rosemary. I should have added a few lavender blossoms and taragon, but I forgot the lavender and did not have any taragon. I chopped the herbs finely and made them into a paste with crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, fresh cracked pepper and olive oil. I trimmed the leg of most of its fat and the silver skin and rubbed the paste all over it. I let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes and put it in a preheated 325 degree oven. When it hit the desired temperature, I removed it and let it sit for 15 minutes on the cutting board. I carved it the long way and served it with sauteed scorzanero and a Folie a Deux Amador County Zinfandel.