Herb & spice roast leg of lamb

Name: Herb & spice roast leg of lamb
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 clove/s garlic, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed; 1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 50 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, thick stalks removed; 10 g fresh lemon thyme, thick stalks removed; 10 g mint; 100 ml olive oil; 3 tbsp white wine vinegar; 4 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar; 2 kg whole leg of lamb, part-boned; 450 ml lamb or chicken stock

If you have the time, this dish really benefits from marinating in its fresh herbs and spices for 24 hours. Serve in thick slices alongside your roast dinner accompaniments.

Serves: 6, with leftovers

3 out of 5 stars(1) Rate this recipe

Serves6
CourseMain meal
Prepare15 mins
Cook3 hrs 30 mins
Total time3 hrs 45 mins
Plusmarinating and resting

Please note that while we take every care to ensure the product and recipe information displayed on our website is correct, in the event that a product is unavailable, alternatives may be displayed and/or a substitution may be given. This may affect the nutrition and allergen information, therefore if you have any allergy or intolerance, please ensure you have reviewed the product label to ensure it is suitable for you to consume.

Ingredients

6 clove/s garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
50g fresh flat-leaf parsley, thick stalks removed
10g fresh lemon thyme, thick stalks removed
10g mint
100ml olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
2kg whole leg of lamb, part-boned
450ml lamb or chicken stock

Method

Put the garlic, cumin and fennel seeds, parsley, thyme, mint, olive oil, vinegar and sugar in a food processor and blitz until the herbs are finely chopped. Make plenty of deep cuts into the lamb with a sharp knife and place in a non-metallic dish. Spread some of the marinade into the cavity of the lamb and spread the remainder all over the surface of the meat. Cover loosely and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably 24 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7. Transfer the lamb, with any of the herb marinade poured over, to a roasting tin and pour in the stock. Cover loosely with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, gas mark 4, uncover the lamb (reserving the foil) and cook for a further 3 hours until the meat is very tender (see tip, below). Re-cover the lamb with the foil if it starts to over-brown during cooking.
Let the meat rest in a warm place, loosely covered, for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Skim off any excess fat from the pan juices, reheat and pour into a jug. Serve with the lamb, thickly sliced.

Cook’s tip

This long cooking time produces a slow-roasted, tender result that’s cooked right through. If you’d prefer to serve the lamb pink in the centre, don’t cover it with foil and cook at the lower temperature for 1-1¼ hours. The juices should run pink when a thick area of the joint is pierced with the tip of a knife.