30 April 2011

EASTER LAMB

By popular request, here's the recipe from my first NZ Listener column. It was the centrepiece of our Easter feast. The potatoes (Red Rascal) hold their shape beautifully and become flavoursome as they absorb all the lamb drippings.

• 1 leg of lamb with shank end attached
• 1 preserved lemon, pith removed
• ½ cup freshly picked lemon thyme leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1kg scrubbed waxy red potatoes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 cup light chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 fresh lemon cut into wedges for garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Trim any excess lumps of fat from the lamb, and make four or five shallow scores across the surface of the skin on each side. Cut the lemon into tiny dice, and roughly chop the thyme leaves, discarding any stalks. Press the lemon and thyme with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the skin of the lamb, making sure some is rubbed into the shallow scored surface. Grind a generous amount of black pepper over the whole leg. Slice the potatoes thickly (about 2-3 cm slices) and lay them in the bottom of a heavy roasting pan, tossing them with the remaining olive oil and the salt. Separate the cloves of garlic but leave the skin on and scatter them amongst the potatoes. Place the leg of lamb in the centre of the dish, with some potatoes directly underneath, and the rest sitting around the lamb. Pour the stock around and place the dish in the oven. After 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 175°C and cook for an hour and a half. The time will need to be adjusted according to the size of the leg…if it’s more than 2kg it may need an extra 15-30 minutes. If you like your lamb well cooked, take a little longer. Remove the dish from the oven and place the leg of lamb and the potatoes and most of the garlic on a warmed serving dish, covered lightly with foil. You may like to turn the oven off but return the lamb there to keep warm while it rests. Place the roasting dish over a heated element on the stove top, and stir the flour into the pan drippings, stirring constantly to make a sauce or gravy. When it is thick and bubbling it is ready. Carve the lamb into thick slices onto the dish, with the potatoes. Pour over the gravy and serve with steamed green beans, peas and baby carrots, and lemon wedges. Wine match: An intensely savoury Wairarapa pinot noir.

Photo: Elizabeth Clarkson