Leg Of Spring Lamb With Coloured Pepper Salsa.

This post is for my old school friend Mark who I have just make contact with after some 35 years. As a chef he will appreciate the value of tender spring lamb. Its the best lamb in my view. I also love spring lamb spare ribs. Thats another post to come...







Ingredients

For the lamb

1.8kg       waxy potatoes finely sliced
1              onion, sliced and blanched in boiling water for 2 mins
600ml       vegetable stock
5              garlic cloves, crushed
3              Tablespoonp finely chopped mint
2              Tablespoonp finely chopped rosemary
100g        butter, at room temperature, plus extra to grease
1              leg of lamb, weighing around 2 to 2.5kg

For the pepper salsa

1              each red, green and yellow peppers
A little EV olive oil
1              small red onion, finely sliced
Juice        of ½ lemon
1-2           Tablespoonp baby capers, rinsed
2              Tablespoonp extra-virgin olive oil
5              mint leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°C . Butter a 4.5 litre roasting tin. Layer potatoes and onion, seasoning well as you go. Pour the stock over and roast for 30 mins.

Put the garlic, herbs and butter in a bowl and mix everything together. Season well then place the lamb on a board and trim away any excess fat, but leave some fat on for that fatty sweetness that lamb fat delivers. Make about six or seven deep cuts all over.

Use a teaspoon to push the butter mixture into the cuts, then smear the rest all over the leg. Put on a roasting rack and rest over the potatoes. Roast for 1 hour 40 mins or 20 mins per 500g – this is perfect for a medium roast.

As its roasting make the pepper salsa. Put the peppers on a roasting tray, drizzle with a little oil and roast in the oven with the lamb for about 30-40 mins or until skins are slightly charred. Put in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.

Put the red onion in a bowl, add the lemon juice, season with salt and leave to marinate. When cool peel the peppers of their skins, slice the flesh and put in a bowl with any juice. Add the capers, olive oil and mint. Season well then stir everything together.

Put the roasted lamb on a board, cover with foil and leave to rest for at least 10-15 mins. Leave the potatoes in the oven to keep hot while you carve the lamb.

Serve the sliced meat with the cooked potatoes and pepper salsa.