Roast lamb

Main

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
• 3 sprigs of rosemary cut finely
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• ⅓ cup of passata
• 1 leg of lamb (3-4kg)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 butternut pumpkin, cut into large
• chunks
• 4 carrots, sliced in half long ways
• 2 large onions, peeled
• ~9 medium potoatoes, peeled and
• chopped into halves (or enough to feel
• your tray)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. In a small bowl mix the oregano, rosemary, garlic, pepper, paprika and half of the salt with passata to make a paste
3. Lightly rub the rest of the salt all over the outside of the leg of lamb
4. Cut 50mm length cuts ¼ of the way deep through the lamb to make pockets. About 3 cuts across will do you. Fill the holes with the mixture using a spoon getting as much into the pockets as possible
5. In a large, deep oven tray put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and half a cup of water
6. Place the lamb leg in the tray
7. Season the pumpkin and carrots with salt and pepper, and place them in the tray around the lamb, then add in the whole onions
8. Put your tray on the highest rack in the oven.
9. After 30 minutes, start to prepare the potatoes. Place them in a separate tray with oil and put them in the oven with a little bit of salt
10. At the 1 hour mark, check to make sure there’s still enough water at the bottom of the lamb and vegetable tray. If the water has evaporated, add a little bit more.
11. Check on the potatoes and flip them over once they’ve achieved the desired crispness on the bottom
12. The time spent cooking depends on the size of the leg. For a big leg, it would usually take 2 hours to cook fully. Adjust heat to 220 degrees for 1.5 hours if you prefer medium to rare. To test your roast, push a skewer about halfway through the meat and liquid should come out clear. If blood comes out then it needs more time. Don’t be afraid when the skin looks burnt, this adds extra flavour
13. When the roast is done you still want liquid at the bottom of the tray. This can be used to make gravy or can be poured over the top of the meat to make it extra juicy
14. Take the roast out of the oven and let it sit for ten minutes. Leave the potatoes in the oven until they’re cooked and golden brown
15. If serving with gravy, now is a good time to whip that together
16. After the lamb has sat, carve it into slices while it's still inside its tray with the liquid. Once you’ve finished carving toss the meat in the juice. Don’t let that liquid gold go to waste