Ok…….we all love a good old traditional roast leg of lamb. Wouldn’t you like to try something a little different? Something with a little edge? With the addition of a few simple ingredients this little lamb was transported to new heights, it took a step outside the box and it seriously made its mark. Let’s not forget the potatoes either……soft in the middle and crispy on the outside they were the icing on the cake!
Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1hr 15 minutes (with 20 mins resting time) $$ Medium budget
Serves 4 (with leftovers)
1 x 1.5kg leg of lamb
8-10 chat potatoes, skin on
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of mint leaves, finely chopped
10 thyme sprigs, leaves removed from stems and chopped
6 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed from stems and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced into slivers
8 cloves of garlic, skin on and bruised with the back of your knife
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and press gently with a masher just to break the skins but don’t completely mash the potato. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to coat and place them in the bottom of a large baking tray. Toss the whole garlic cloves in too.
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Take a small, sharp paring knife and stab the lamb all over, about an inch deep and stuff the little holes with the garlic. The more the better as it all adds flavour. In a small bowl, combine the herbs (set aside a tablespoon of herbs for garnish), remaining olive oil and the balsamic vinegar and season generously with salt and pepper. Whisk well to combine, place the lamb in the tray with the potatoes and pour over the balsamic and herb mix. Give everything a little shake around so it is well coated and place in the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C and bake for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes for medium. Turn the potatoes every 30 minutes or so and baste the lamb with the juices at the same time.
Remove the lamb from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes or more. Pour the juices into a jug and set aside and pop the spuds back into the oven to crisp up until you are ready to carve the lamb. Heat the juices in the microwave for 30 seconds and pour over the lamb once carved and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. I put the whole leg back into the pan and carried it to the table just to hear the ooohs and aaaahs and carved it at the table. We enjoyed it with a lovely salad.
If using a larger leg of lamb allow 25 minutes per 500gm for medium/medium rare