Mains: Leg of Lamb

Roast Leg of Lamb

I will be honest. I am not a lamb fan, however this is the one easy lamb dish I pull out when my visitors do enjoy a NZ roast lamb  (and are not going to settle for chicken). Despite this, I always always taste test the gravy before serving. This can make or break the dish. It can be served as it would traditionally with roast or mashed vegetable, however I often like to make a roast vegetable salad to go with it (Dads favourite).

Ingredients:

1 Largish Leg of Lamb

5 - 6 Sprigs Rosemary

6 Cloves Garlic

2 Teaspoons Rock Salt

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Large Knob Butter

1 Tablespoon Flour

3 Teaspoons Capers

2 Teaspoons Cranberry Jelly

1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

Approx 1 Cup Chicken Stock

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Using a mortar and pestle bash up a sprig of rosemary with salt and garlic.

3. Rub olive olive oil over the lamb, then rub in the salt mix.

4. Place meet in a large roasting dish on top of the remaining Rosemary sprigs.

5. Roast for about 2 hours.

6. Remove lamb from the roasting dish and set aside.

7. Remove rosemary from the dish and discard, then sieve left over fluid into a jug.

8. Place a knob of butter into the roasting dish to melt.

9. Add flour mix to create a rue.

10. Cook for about a 30 - 40 secs stirring all the time, so it does not burn but cooks flour a little.

11. Pour in sieved liquid, and whisk making sure the gravy is smooth with no lumps in it.

12. Add capers, cranberry jelly, vinegar and chicken stock if necessary to make gravy a thinner. When you add capers, mash them up a little with your stirring spoon or whisk, this will release more favour throughout the sauce.

Quick Easy Dinner Idea

Sausages are one of those things that are nice to eat by themselves in a piece of bread but for something a little different (to the ordinary flat meal) they can easily be jazzed up. 

.

For a quick dinner in a hurry on a warm summers night I chop up some good quality sausages as well as potatoes, break up some stale crusty bread and some peeled cloves of garlic. Place in a roasting tray and pour enough olive oil over to coat, then toss. This will ensure the bread and potato goes all crunchy on the outside in contrast to the sausage (and inside of the potato). Place some Rosemary on top and bake for about half an hour until cooked. Serve with a green salad