Butterflied Lamb with Mint Guacamole
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Butterflying the meat gives you lamb with degrees of ‘doneness’: rare where the meat is thicker and medium to well done in the thinner areas. Ditch traditional mint sauce and serve silky smooth mint guacamole for a fresh accompaniment.
Serves: 8-10
INGREDIENTS
Lamb
1 boned and butterflied leg of lamb, about 1.2 kilograms after bone removed
8 halves sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons each ground coriander and paprika
finely grated zest 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
Guacamole
2 avocados, peeled
juice 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
small handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash of Tabasco sauce
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
rocket or mixed salad leaves
sliced ripe tomatoes
METHOD
Lamb: Trim the lamb of any large pieces of fat and place in a wide dish.
Put the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine paste. Spread over the lamb, pushing into all the nooks and crannies. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Preheat the flat plate of the barbecue to a medium heat.
Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes then turn over.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the lamb and cook for another 10-15 minutes for medium lamb or until cooked to your liking. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your lamb. Transfer to a platter, cover loosely and rest for 10 minutes.
Guacamole: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, adding more Tabasco to taste.
To serve: Slice the lamb thinly across the grain. Serve with the guacamole, salad leaves and tomatoes.

Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
latest issue:
Issue #120
As the days become shorter, and the nights cooler, the latest issue is perfectly timed to deliver delicious autumn dishes. From recipes using fresh seasonal produce such as feijoas and apples, to spectacular soothing soups and super-quick after-work meals in our Food Fast section, we’ve got you covered. With Easter on the horizon, we feature recipes that will see you through breakfast, lunch and dinner over a leisurely weekend holiday, and whip up chocolatey baking treats sure to please. We round up delicious dinners for two and showcase a hot new Korean cookbook before heading south to Dunedin to check out all that’s new in food and dining.The latest issue of dish is on sale NOW at all good bookstores and supermarkets – don’t miss it!