Slow Roast Spiced Leg of Lamb, Harissa Carrots with Dill Carrot Top Pesto, Bejewelled Rice and Mint Jus
This is my kind of Sunday roast. Shove the lamb in the oven in the morning and in a few hours you’re left with the most succulent, tender meat and a few lovely crispy bits from the bottom of the roasting tray (i.e. the best bits). Leg of lamb is a more expensive piece of meat but this fed 7 people comfortably so if you are looking for a special joint as a celebration meal, you do get your money’s worth. The spices used throughout this recipe also make this more expensive, but hopefully if you do make this meal, you’ll find that sometimes it’s ok to splash out for a special occasion. Teamed with a rich, mint gravy made from the cooking juices and some roasted harissa carrots with chickpeas and a zingy, vibrant pesto made from the carrot tops (always looking for ways to cut down on waste), this is a special meal which has little surprises in every mouthful. The buttery saffron rice soaks up all the juices and is studded with dried fruit, chopped nuts, cinnamon, bay leaves, and cardamom pods. When it’s left in the pan on a really low temperature it also forms this lovely crispy buttery crust on the bottom which is so so good.
(Serves 7 - £3.92 per serving)
First prepare the lamb. Make the marinade by mixing the zest of one lemon and the juice of two with four crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp dried mint, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tbsp ras el hanout, 1/2 tsp fenugreek, 1/2 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Mix well and season. Make small incisions with a sharp knife all over the leg of lamb and pour over the marinade. Massage the marinade all over the meat, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove the lamb from the fridge 30 mins before roasting. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan, put the lamb in a deep roasting tray, pour in 250ml boiling water and cover tightly with several layers of foil. Place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 140C and slow roast the lamb for 6-7 hours.
Leave the lamb to rest on a chopping board covered with plenty of foil. Meanwhile put the roasting tin on the hob and add 200ml of white wine to deglaze the tray and scrape up all the lovely caramelised bits of lamb from the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has reduced to almost nothing add 500ml chicken or lamb stock and leave to simmer away and reduce slightly. Add 1/2 tbsp redcurrant jelly to the gravy, 1 tsp mint sauce, a knob of butter and some seasoning. If the gravy needs more thickening add 1/2 tbsp cornflour mixed with water.
Shred the lamb and serve with the mint jus, harissa carrots and rice.
Rinse 300g basmati rice in plenty of cold running water until it runs clear. Add the rice to a large pan of salted boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain well. Place a piece of greaseproof paper into the bottom of the saucepan and add a large knob of butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Tip the rice back into the pan and stir through a pinch of saffron, 50g chopped pistachios, 50g chopped apricots, 50g cranberries, a few bay leaves, 4 crushed cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick. Turn the heat right down, pop a lid on and leave for 1 hour so the rice develops a lovely golden crust on the bottom. Tip onto a platter then stir through some chopped coriander.