Traditionally, lamb is served for dinner on Easter and the iron-rich dish is ideal to serve to family and friends.
There are three parts to this recipe namely the crumbs, the lamb itself, and the gravy.
For the crumbs you will need:
- 100g white bread.
- Two garlic cloves.
- The zest of one lemon.
- One teaspoon of thyme leaf, chopped.
- A small bunch parsley, chopped.
For the lamb you will need:
- Five carrots, cut into chunks.
- Two onions, cut into chunks.
- A small bunch rosemary.
- Two tablespoons of olive oil.
- A large leg of lamb, about 3kg.
- Three garlic cloves, thickly sliced, plus a whole bulb, halved
For the gravy you will need:
- Five tablespoons of plain flour.
- 200ml white wine, plus a splash.
- 600ml lamb stock.
What to do:
Heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
For the lamb, scatter the vegetables, bay leaves and a few rosemary sprigs into a large roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil.
Use a sharp knife to make little slits all over the lamb. Place a slice of garlic and a small sprig of rosemary into each one.
Sit the lamb on top of the vegetables in the roasting tin, add a splash of wine, then cook for two hours if you like it pink, or two hours and 15 minutes for cooked through. Remove from the oven, transfer to a board and cover with foil.
Let the lamb rest for 45 minutes to an hour.
To make the gravy, pour off most of the fat from the tin but leave the vegetables and any meat juices. Place the tin on the heat to caramelise the vegetables, then stir in the flour and cook to a paste.
Gradually stir in the wine, cook for a minute, and then stir in the stock and simmer until you have a tasty gravy. Push the gravy through a sieve into a small pan and keep warm.
Turn the oven up to 220 degrees Celsius.
For the crumbs, blitz everything in a food processor and scatter over a tray.
Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp, then re-blitz or break up with your fingers to crumbs again.
These can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container for two days.
Serve the lamb carved into slices, sprinkled with crumbs and the gravy alongside.
- Information obtained from www.bbcgoodfood.com.
