What could be better than roast lamb for Sunday lunch? And it’s not even Easter! I bought this rare breed beauty from my local farmer’s market and it was sublime. Rich and almost gamey in taste, with a dense, tender texture.
So what’s the twist? Well, anchovies, garlic and rosemary are classic combinations to add to lamb, but I’ve also added lemon peel, too. Not rocket science, granted. The resulting citrussy note it gave to the meat was wonderful.
I cooked it medium, sliced quite thickly, and served with a sweet potato twist on creamy Daupinois Gratin. That’s two twists for the price of one!
- For the lamb
- Leg of lamb, weighing 1.2kg
- Peel of 1 lemon
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- Leaves from 1 branch of fresh rosemary
- 6-8 anchovies, from a tin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Glug of olive oil
- For the sweet potato Dauphinoise
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 large baking potato
- 200 ml double cream
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Prepare the lamb by using a very sharp knife to make about 20 incisions all over the skin, probing deep through the fat and into the flesh. Using your fingers, insert a piece of garlic, a piece of lemon peel, half an anchovy and a few rosemary leaves. Rub all over with olive oil, then season with plenty of salt and pepper.
- Transfer the lamb to a roasting tin. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and roast for 20 mins, before turning the oven down to 180C/Gas 4 and cooking for a further 40 mins. At the end of the cooking time, remove from the oven, take the lamb out of the roasting tin and transfer to a plate. Cover with tin foil to keep it warm while it rests for 20 mins.
- While the lamb is cooking, prepare the Dauphinoise by bringing a large pan of water to the boil. Peel the potato and sweet potato and cut into quarters. Boil in the water for around 7-9 mins, until tender, but not falling apart. Remove and cool.
- Once cool, finely slice the potato/sweet potato chunks, then in a shallow baking dish, layer alternate slices to create an attractive pattern! After the first layer, sprinkle over the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add another layer of alternating slices, then pour on the cream. Finish by sprinkling over the grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, carve the lamb into thick slices. Spoon out a slice of the Daupinois and serve alongside hearty greens (such as curly kale) and a gravy made by draining the fat from the bottom of the tin the lamb roasted in, deglazing with red wine, adding vegetable stock form the greens, and whisking in a teaspoon of cranberry sauce from a jar.
Serves 2-4
For the lamb
Leg of lamb, weighing 1.2kg
Peel of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Leaves from 1 branch of fresh rosemary
6-8 anchovies, from a tin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Glug of olive oil
For the sweet potato Dauphinoise
1 sweet potato
1 large baking potato
200 ml double cream
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1. Prepare the lamb by using a very sharp knife to make about 20 incisions all over the skin, probing deep through the fat and into the flesh. Using your fingers, insert a piece of garlic, a piece of lemon peel, half an anchovy and a few rosemary leaves. Rub all over with olive oil, then season with plenty of salt and pepper.
2. Transfer the lamb to a roasting tin. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and roast for 20 mins, before turning the oven down to 180C/Gas 4 and cooking for a further 40 mins. At the end of the cooking time, remove from the oven, take the lamb out of the roasting tin and transfer to a plate. Cover with tin foil to keep it warm while it rests for 20 mins.
3. While the lamb is cooking, prepare the Dauphinoise by bringing a large pan of water to the boil. Peel the potato and sweet potato and cut into quarters. Boil in the water for around 7-9 mins, until tender, but not falling apart. Remove and cool.
4. Once cool, finely slice the potato/sweet potato chunks, then in a shallow baking dish, layer alternate slices to create an attractive pattern! After the first layer, sprinkle over the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add another layer of alternating slices, then pour on the cream. Finish by sprinkling over the grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
5. To serve, carve the lamb into thick slices. Spoon out a slice of the Daupinois and serve alongside hearty greens (such as curly kale) and a gravy made by draining the fat from the bottom of the tin the lamb roasted in, deglazing with red wine, adding vegetable stock form the greens, and whisking in a teaspoon of cranberry sauce from a jar.
Oh yum, yum, I love roast lamb. I always use garlic and rosemary, but have not heard about anchovies and lemon before. I must try it next time. Thanks for this lovely recipe!
My other half loves roast lamb and now I have a new recipe to try out on him!