Roast leg of lamb

A warm, cozy Sunday lunch meal.

TOTAL TIME 1 hour 30 minutes | SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

2 kg leg of lamb, bone in
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup small fresh rosemary sprigs
1 kg potatoes, halved or quartered if large
240 g onions, unpeeled, quartered
1 cup chicken stock

METHOD

PREHEAT oven to 200ºC

PLACE lamb in an oiled large baking dish. Using a sharp knife, cut at least 15 slits into the lamb at 2cm intervals. Rub the surface with garlic, then sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Insert a small rosemary sprig into each slit. Season.

PLACE potatoes and onions around the lamb, in a single layer. Add stock to dish. Season well.

ROAST lamb and vegetables for 15 minutes; spoon pan juices over vegetables. Reduce oven to 180ºC roast for a further 45 minutes or until cooked as desired. Check during roasting and add a little more stock or water if the pan juices are darkening too quickly.

TO check whether the lamb is done to your liking, insert a skewer or meat thermometer into the centre of the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone and fat. It is cooked to medium when it reaches 66ºC-70ºC

REMOVE lamb from the oven; place on a plate. Cover with foil; rest for 15 minutes. Turn vegetables in pan juices; return to the oven. Roast a further 10 minutes or until browned. Once vegetables have browned, reduce the oven to 120ºC to keep vegetables warm.

MEANWHILE, strain pan juices from the lamb into a jug. Skim and discard fat from the surface of juices. Reheat pan juices if needed.

SLICE lamb and serve with roasted vegetables, pan juices and, if you like, mint sauce

TIP: Serve with steamed green peas beans or asparagus.

READ MORE: LAMB KNUCKLE AND APRICOT STEW RECIPE