Classic roast leg of lamb with a twist
A great quick roast that is also fantastic cooked on the barbecue.
Brussels sprouts feature in this recipe, but can be replaced with a more summery vegetable such as green beans – just reduce the roasting time from 15 to 10 minutes.
Fennel-rubbed butterflied leg of lamb with kumara flatbreads
❚ Serves 6 ❚ Preparation 30 minutes ❚ Cooking 55 minutes For the lamb: ❚ 1 tablespoon fennel seeds ❚ 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt ❚ 3 garlic cloves ❚ zest and juice of 1 lemon ❚ 2 tablespoons olive oil ❚ 2 tablespoons thyme leaves ❚ 1 butterflied leg of lamb (about 1.5kg) ❚ 750g brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved (or use green beans or asparagus) ❚ 100g pistachio nuts, toasted ❚ cup mint leaves ❚ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ❚ kumara flatbreads and thickened yoghurt to serve Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. In a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seeds, salt, garlic, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon olive oil together to a paste. Stir in the thyme.
Smear this all over the flesh. Cut side of the lamb then put the lamb, cut side up, in a roasting dish and roast on a high oven shelf for 15 minutes. Turn the lamb over and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.
While the lamb cooks, toss the brussels sprouts with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put on a roasting tray.
Remove the lamb from the oven to a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Put the sprouts on a high shelf in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Set the lamb roasting dish on the stove over high heat, add any juices from the rested lamb and whisk in the lemon juice, letting it bubble slightly, and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the dish.
Put the sprouts on a serving plate, pour over the lemony lamb juices, scatter with the pistachios and mint, and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. Carve the lamb and serve with the sprouts, flatbreads, and yoghurt. For the kumara flatbread: ❚ 3 cups self-raising flour ❚ teaspoon salt ❚ 1 cup Greek yoghurt ❚ 1 cup mashed kumara ❚ 3 tablespoons olive oil In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, yoghurt and kumara and knead with your hands to form a dough. Add enough water to form a soft dough that holds together – about 3 tablespoons. Divide into 6 pieces. Flatten and shape each into a roughly 17cm x 10cm flatbread.
Heat a barbecue or grill plate to medium/hot. Brush the flatbreads with the oil and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned and raised. – Fiona Smith, Cuisine