Spice Rubbed, Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

From issue #8.
Photography by Nick Tresidder.
    Spice Rubbed, Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

    For this dish, ask your butcher to French trim the bone of the lamb leg. This gives the lamb a much smarter look. Slow cooked lamb like this is not pink in the centre, but is so meltingly tender it can be pulled off the bone with a fork.

    Serves: 8-10

    INGREDIENTS

    2 kilogram leg of lamb, French trimmed
    4 red onions
    3 bay leaves
    juice of 1 orange

    Spiced Butter
    50 grams butter
    3 cloves garlic, crushed
    1 tablespoon ground coriander
    1 tablespoon ground cumin
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
    1 teaspoon salt
    finely grated zest of 1 orange
    freshly ground pepper

    Mustard Sauce
    1 cup thick plain yoghurt
    2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    2 tablespoons shredded mint

    METHOD

    Spiced butter: Combine the butter with the other ingredients and season with freshly ground pepper. Cut a few deep incisions in the meat with a sharp knife.

    Push a little of the spiced butter into each incision then spread the remaining butter over both sides of the lamb.

    Leave for at least an hour or refrigerate, covered, overnight. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.

    Lamb: Preheat the oven to 220oC. Place the lamb in a lightly oiled roasting dish. Peel and halve the onions through the root and place in the pan along with the bay leaves. Season the onions and pour over the orange juice and 1⁄2 a cup of water.

    Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 160°C and cook the lamb for 3 hours.

    Transfer the lamb, onions and bay leaves to a platter, cover lightly and rest for 15 minutes. Tilt the roasting dish and spoon off the excess oil from the cooking juices.
    Mustard Sauce: Combine the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.

    To serve: Place the lamb on a serving platter and surround with the onions and bay leaves. Reheat the pan juices and drizzle over the lamb.

    Serve with the mustard sauce and lemon wedges. Serves 8-10 as part of this menu

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