The simple leg of lamb recipe you’ve always wanted
Have you always wanted to try your hand at a leg of lamb but never had the confidence? Then this is the recipe for you – it’s simple but spectacular. And there’s a zingy little mint sauce that’s gonna knock your socks off.
Serves 6
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2.2 kg Woolworths Free Range Leg of Lamb
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- 20 g rosemary
- 3 T olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Seasonal winter baby vegetables such as baby beetroot, Apache potatoes, baby red onions, baby carrots and green beans, for serving
- 100 g butter
For the mint sauce:
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 x 155 g jar Woolworths Mint Jelly
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 10 g fresh mint, chopped
Method:
- Preheat the oven’s grill.
- Remove the lamb from its packaging and rinse well with water, then pat dry completely. Using the tip of a small, sharp knife, carefully make small incisions all over the surface of the lamb, deep enough for the cloves of garlic to be pushed into.
- Push the garlic cloves into the incisions, with half the rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, season well and place under the hot grill to render the fat and allow the surface to become golden brown. Do this for 20 minutes but make sure it doesn’t catch too much.
- Remove from the oven. Turn off the grill and reduce the oven’s temperature to 180°C. Add more rosemary and the vegetables of your choice to the roasting pan. Season and dot generously with butter. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your preference. Cover with foil if it begins to catch. Remove and allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- To make the mint sauce, fry the garlic in the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the mint jelly and stir to melt. Add the vinegar, simmer for 5 minutes and season to taste. Fold in fresh mint just before spooning over the lamb.
Not a fan of CIY (cooking it yourself)?