Nothing says "Sunday lunch" quite like roast lamb. Instead of the traditional rosemary, garlic & lemon combination I decided to lean towards the warmer Moroccan flavours to ensure my lamb paired perfectly with the nutty hummus I have been craving. The sweetness of the meat couples perfectly with the honeyed flavours of exotic spice; cumin, clove, star anise, cinnamon, coriander seed, all spice, ground ginger, black peppercorns, fresh rosemary and lemon zest were all ground into a fragrant pulp. The lamb was coated in olive oil and rubbed with the spice mix. I then poured a glut of beautiful, raw honey all over the leg, squeezed two juicy lemons over it and popped it into a very hot oven.
This butterflied leg of lamb is great in the oven and even more delicious on the fire, if the weather allows. Because the leg is butterflied it caters for everyone - the thinner ends come out well done with the thicker bits juicy and pink - perfection!
Yield: Serves 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 - 75 minutes
Ingredients
Lamb:
1 leg of lamb – about 2kg, butterflied and trimmed of excess fat
Rub:
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
2 tsp cumin
1 whole clove
1 whole star anise
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 large stalks fresh rosemary - leaves removed and roughly chopped
Lemon zest from 2 lemons
4 tbsp honey
Sauce:
2 tbsp soft butter
2 tbsp flour
Lemon juice to taste
Vegetables:
15 whole baby beetroot - washed
15 whole baby carrots - washed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 handful fresh oregano - roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Chickpeas
1 x 400g can chickpeas - drained & rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
Hummus:
2 x 400g cans of chickpeas (keep aside around 100ml of the liquid)
4 tsp tahini
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp crushed sea salt
6 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200'C
Lamb - Place the salt, cumin, clove, star anise, cinnamon, coriander seed, all spice, ground ginger, black peppercorns, fresh rosemary & lemon zest all into a pestle & mortar & grind to a pulp.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan.
- Coat the lamb in olive oil & rub with the spice mix.
- *Tip: Use your hands - it will ensure the spice gets into every little space & triples the enjoyment of the whole process!
- Drizzle the honey evenly all over the leg.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice.
- Cover the roasting pan with cling film, refrigerate & allow to marinade for a couple hours.
- Bring the lamb to room temperature.
- While your lamb is coming up to temperature, prep your vegetables.
Vegetables - Wash the beetroot and carrots, dry, place into an oven proof dish & coat with olive oil.
- Season with cayenne pepper, oregano & salt & pepper.
- Pop your lamb and vegetables into the oven.
- While these are cooking you can make your hummus.
Hummus - Open the cans of chickpeas and rinse under cold water
- Pop these into your food processor.
- Add the tahini, garlic, salt, lemon juice & the 100ml liquid.
- Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the oil while it runs.
- When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, tip it into a serving dish.
- Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and top with some toasted sesame seeds.
- After about an hour your lamb should be done to perfection - remove from the oven and allow to rest.
- Check that your vegetables are soft - if not, allow to go for a further 10-15 minutes or until done.
Sauce - Drain the liquid from the roasting pan that the lamb cooked in and place into a pot.
- Place on the stove and bring to the boil.
- Knead together your butter and flour and whisk mixture into the sauce.
- Allow the sauce to come to a slow boil and thicken.
- Add lemon juice and season to taste.
- Chickpeas
- Mix all the ingredients with the chickpeas - place on a roasting tray and pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until crunchy and golden.
To Serve - After your lamb is done resting transfer to a chopping board.
- Slice nice, thick pieces of the lamb, smother with sauce, serve with roast root veg, top with crunchy, chilli chickpeas and a large dollop of nutty hummus - incredible!
- If you like, serve with griddled flatbreads to mop up all those delicious flavours!
Food Love,
Tanya