Ingredients
2kg Leg of lamb or lamb shoulder (bone in)
1 Whole garlic head, unpeeled and cut in half horizontally
1 Onion, quartered
2-4 Rosemary sprigs (to taste)
3 Cups beef stock
4 Tbs flour or cornflour
Salt and pepper
25ml Olive oil
3 cups Water
For the fresh mint sauce
2 Cups mint
2 Cups parsley
2 Tbs white vinegar
4 Tsp capers
Large gherkin, chopped
Salt and pepper
A Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
A classic centrepiece for the Sunday family dinner table, slow-roasted leg of lamb is a generous dish when it comes to flavour. Infused with fresh rosemary and garlic on the outside, with aromatic, juicy and tender meat that falls off the bone on the inside, this lamb meat is elevated to the next level by coating it in earthy mint and caper sauce. Serve with your family favourites, such as golden roasted potatoes, al dente green beans, and honeyed carrot rounds or silky-smooth mashed potatoes and steam vegetables.
The best part is that this impressive lamb feast requires minimal preparation time and is very forgiving when it comes to the cooking process.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Instructions
For the lamb
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (standard) or 150°C (with a fan).
- Drizzle the lamb with the olive oil and rub to coat the lamb. Season the lamb well with salt and pepper and rub it in.
- Place the garlic, onion and rosemary in a metal roasting pan. Place the lamb, skin side up, in the pan so it sits on top of the garlic, onion and rosemary.
- Pour the beef stock and water around the lamb (it won’t cover the lamb). Cover the roasting pan with tinfoil, crimping the sides to seal the lamb well. You can use 2 layers of foil if necessary.
- Place in the oven and slow roast for 4 ½ hours.
- Remove from the oven and remove the tin foil. Turn the lamb leg over and check to make sure the lamb is tender enough to pull a piece off easily with a fork. If not tender enough, recover with the foil and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Once the lamb is tender, return uncovered to the oven for 45 minutes or until well browned.
- Remove the lamb from the pan and place on a serving dish, spoon over some of the pan juices and loosely cover with tinfoil while you make the sauce.
- Place the roasting pan over a medium heat. Combine the corn flour and 80ml water and stir well to form a slurry.
- Pour into the pan juices and whisk well. Add more water if needed to get the right consistency. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Strain the gravy into a jug
For the mint sauce
- In a food processor, process the parsley and mint until finely chopped.
- Add the vinegar, capers, gherkin, salt, pepper and sugar and process until finely chopped. Check the balance of sweet and vinegar and salt and pepper. Place in a bowl.
- Serve the tender leg of lamb with the gravy and fresh mint sauce.
If cooking isn’t your forte but want to treat your family to this delicious meal, contact our catering division to do it for you at catering@tirolean.co.za
