Roast leg of spring lamb with minted pea purée and roast new potatoes

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the leg of spring lamb dry with kitchen paper. Finely crush or grate 4 of the garlic cloves. In a small bowl mix the olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, the lemon zest and juice and Dijon mustard. Season the paste with sea salt and black pepper.

2. 2

   Score the fat on the lamb in a diamond pattern and rub the herb mixture all over the meat, getting a little under the skin where you can. Cover loosely and refrigerate to marinate for 2 hours.

3. 3

   Remove the lamb from the fridge 30 minutes before roasting so it comes closer to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional. Place the lamb on a roasting tin with a rack and roast at the high temperature for 15 minutes to encourage browning.

4. 4

   Reduce the oven to 160°C fan/180°C conventional and continue to roast for a further 96 minutes (this timing is for a 2.4 kg leg and will give medium to medium-rare). Start checking the internal temperature after 75 minutes of the second roast period using a meat thermometer.

5. 5

   While the lamb is in the oven, scrub the new potatoes and put them in a pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil on the hob and simmer for 10 minutes until just tender. Drain well and let steam-dry for 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Toss the parboiled potatoes with a little olive oil, the remaining crushed garlic cloves, sea salt and black pepper, then spread them on a baking tray in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and crisp.

7. 7

   Make the minted pea purée while the potatoes roast. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the frozen peas and cook for 4 minutes until bright green and tender. Drain and reserve a little cooking water.

8. 8

   Blitz the drained peas in a blender with the fresh mint, unsalted butter and double cream; add a splash of the reserved cooking water if needed to loosen. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper and keep warm on the hob over a very low heat if needed.

9. 9

   When the lamb reaches your target temperature, remove it from the oven and transfer to a carving board. Tent loosely with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

10. 10

    Carve the lamb into slices and serve with the roast new potatoes and minted pea purée. Spoon any resting juices over the meat.

Tips

• Use a probe thermometer — it’s the least fussy way to guarantee the lamb is exactly how you like it.
• Parboil the potatoes so they roast crispy outside and tender inside; shake them in the colander to roughen the edges for extra crunch.
• Make the pea purée slightly looser than you think; it firms up as it cools and is easier to reheat gently on the hob.
• You can prepare the rub the night before and refrigerate the rubbed lamb overnight for deeper flavour — add 2 hours to passive time if you do.
• If you have a resting pan, keep the carved lamb juices and add a knob of butter to warm them into a quick pan jus to spoon over slices.

Substitutions

• leg of spring lamb → shoulder of lamb (use low-and-slow method; cook longer until tender)

  Noticeably different

• frozen peas → fresh peas (use about 500 g, cook for 3–4 minutes)

  Stays close

• double cream → crème fraîche (same quantity)

  Noticeably different

• Dijon mustard → wholegrain mustard (same quantity)

  Stays close

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

1000

Calories

65 g

Protein

44 g

Carbs

68 g

Fat

5 g

Fibre

4 g

Sugar

700 mg

Sodium

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