Preheat the oven to 475F. In an ovenproof casserole or Dutch oven pour a thick layer of the salt. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and sprinkle the thyme over the leg of lamb. Place the lamb in the casserole. Pour the rest of the salt over the lamb. Place a cover on the casserole. In a small bowl mix the flour together with a little water to make a paste and seal the cover on the casserole by applying the paste . Roast for about 40 minutes on a medium heat. To make the sauce, remove the outer layer of skin from the garlic head. Place it in a small saucepan of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until tender. Drain and squeeze the cloves to remove the pulp. Place the garlic pulp on the top of a double boiler with the egg yolks, half the white wine, the sugar, salt and pepper. Place over barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture doubles in volume. Add the remaining wine and continue whisking until the sauce becomes very light. To serve, place the lamb roast on a cutting board and cut away the salted crust. Slice the leg of lamb and serve with the garlic sauce.
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4 lb leg of lamb
6 lb coarse salt
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup flour
For the garlic sauce:
4 egg yolks
1 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
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10
mn
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40
mn
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For an even harder crust, mix the salt with a little bit of water to obtain a paste.
