Roast Boned Leg of Lamb Abruzzi-Style with Potatoes

The foothills of Abruzzi, a ruggedly handsome and mountainous region that marks the southern limit of what mapmakers designate as central Italy, are home to shepherds and their flocks. Lambs are raised for meat and their mothers are milked to produce pecorino cheese. The recipe for roast leg of lamb given here combines both products of this sheep-tending culture.

Roasting a whole leg does not happen every day or even every month, but it can replace the customary stewed or fricasseed