Roast Lamb with Rosemary & Orange

—

7 July 2021 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: 8

Orange zest adds an exotic note to this lamb dish. Coppa adds a savoury saltiness, rosemary and garlic add pungency. The result is delicious.

Ingredients

—

1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 large leeks, trimmed 2 kg (a good 4 lb) leg of lamb (or 1.3-1.5 kg / 2.8-3.3 lb carvery leg; see Recipe Notes) 30g (1 oz) coppa (or bacon), coarsely chopped Peeled strips of ½ orange 2 cloves garlic, peeled and each clove cut into about longish 6 pieces 1 stem rosemary broken into tufts 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Flaky sea salt 1 tsp smoked paprika

Method

—

 

1 Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. To prepare leeks, remove any outer damaged leaves, then trim the top leaves, leaving 1-2 centimetres of green, and wash the leeks thoroughly under running cold water. Cut leeks in half lengthways, rinse out any dirt, then cut into large chunks.

2 Remove any large lumps of fat from back or sides of lamb. Cut a dozen or so deep slits in plump side of lamb with a small sharp knife. Stuff a little collection of coppa, orange peel, garlic and rosemary in each slit. Transfer lamb to a roasting tin, choosing one that will accommodate the vegetables too, in a nice snug fit (the vegetables should be stacked around the lamb). Sprinkle with salt.

3 Put potato chunks in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and a good sprinkle of salt. Add leeks and toss gently. Tumble vegetables around lamb. Drizzle lamb with 1 tablespoon oil and dust everything with smoked paprika. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and turn vegetables as best you can, and if there are any juices, spoon them over the lamb (it will be a tight fit!). Roast a further 30 minutes, turning vegetables again after 15 minutes, and basting as best you can. Remove any deeply browned pieces of leek to a side plate to ensure they don’t char.

4 Transfer lamb to a board and drape loosely with foil.  Increase oven temperature to 210°C (210°F) and continue cooking the vegetables until they are deep golden. Slice lamb and serve on a warmed platter. Transfer potatoes and all the leeks to a warmed bowl and serve.

Recipe Notes

A carvery leg of lamb is partially boned to make carving easier. There is also less waste. Roast at 180°C (350°F) for approximately 45 minutes, basting as best you can every 15 minutes (this will produce juicy pinkish meat), or until the lamb is done to your liking.

Read about leeks here All you need to know about leeks   Leeks