Don’t be daunted by the title of this recipe. We can assure you it’s super easy to make with only 20 minutes of hands-on time required from you. And we just thought we’d mention that we absolutely love a leg of lamb with beautiful traditional homely flavours, such as rosemary and nuts.
SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
150g (±½ loaf) ciabatta, torn into pieces
100g pistachios
75 ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 bulbs garlic, 1 peeled and crushed, 1 halved
10g rosemary
5g flat-leaf parsley
5g origanum
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt flakes and black pepper
2 kg leg of lamb, on the bone
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 onions, peeled and quartered
1L vegetable stock
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. To make the stuffing, place the ciabatta pieces, pistachios, oil, crushed garlic, half of the rosemary (leaves only), parsley, origanum, lemon zest, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper in a food processor. Blitz until all of the ingredients are roughly chopped and well combined.
3. Make an incision along the back of the leg of lamb, down the bone, to create a pocket. Place the stuffing inside and secure with string to keep it from falling out.
4. Place the lamb in a roasting tin, along with the halved garlic, carrots, celery and onions.
5. Pour the stock into the tin, drizzle a little extra oil over the lamb and season. Tuck the remaining rosemary under the string.
6. Roast in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender and cooked through.
7. Carve, drizzle the pan juices over the lamb and serve.