Pop some lamb on the barbie
Three Blue Ducks and Rocker head chef, Darren Robertson, shares his top tips for cooking the perfect lamb this summer
ONE of chef Darren Robertson’s favourite things to do in summer is to get friends and family around for a barbecue.
Here are Darren’s top lamb tips for mouthwatering barbecued lamb:
1. Lamb is full of flavour and tastes delicious simply cooked with a little salt and lemon. If you’re marinating your lamb, try to marinade overnight for maximum flavour. If you’re feeling adventurous try my spiced harissa rub that works perfectly with any cut of lamb.
2. Barbecue season in the UK is limited to say the least. Make the most of the long Aussie summer days and get barbecuing outside. Super quick and easy, barbecuing is ideal for chops, cutlets, steaks, burgers or rissoles. You can also cook bigger lamb cuts like ribs, butterflied leg or a mini roast on the barbecue, just pop the hood down to cut cooking time in half. 3. Leg of lamb isn’t just for winter. Ask your butcher to butterfly a lamb leg for a quick summer option. Whether you roast on the barbecue with the hood down or in the oven, it’s delicious sliced up in salads and perfect for sharing as part of a big spread enjoyed with friends and family. 4. If you’re stuck on ideas for your lamb, embrace the classics. Rosemary, preserved lemon, thyme and garlic are the classic go-to flavours for lamb.
A slow cooked lamb shoulder with garlic cloves, salt, lemon, mustard and herbs is tough to beat and is a sure-fire winner.
Harissa butterflied lamb leg, smoked eggplant and watermelon radish salad
SERVES: 4–6
Ingredients
1 x 1.5kg leg of lamb (butterflied)
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 1⁄2 large red chillies
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 bunch coriander stalks
1 pinch peppercorns
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar Salt
SMOKED EGGPLANT YOGHURT:
100g plain yoghurt
1 small eggplant
1 pinch sumac
WATERMELON RADISH SALAD:
200g piece of watermelon, peeled
1 handful of picked coriander leaves
1 handful of picked mint leaves
1 lebanese cucumber, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 large red chilli, sliced
8 baby red radishes, washed
1 vine of tomatoes
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1 pinch grated garlic
Salt and pepper
Method
For the smoked eggplant yoghurt, preheat the barbecue to 200C and cook the eggplant for 5–10 minutes on the chargrill or naked flame until charred. Leave to cool then peel away half the skin and discard. Blitz the eggplant with the yoghurt and season with sumac.
For the butterflied lamb leg, roast the spices then blend to a powder.
Grind the chilli, garlic, coriander stalks and mix in the olive oil, vinegar and spices. Marinade the lamb in half of the paste, ideally overnight in the fridge, or for at least a couple of hours.
When the barbecue is preheated to 200C, season the lamb with salt and place in the centre of the barbecue, skin side up.
Barbecue with the hood down for 20 minutes, turning and basting with the remaining harrisa paste regularly. Once cooked, leave to rest for 20 minutes then carve.
For the watermelon radish salad, wash the radishes and cut them into quarters. Peel and dice the cucumber. Remove the eye from the tomatoes and roughly dice.
Very thinly slice the chilli, dice the watermelon and mix all the ingredients into a goodsize bowl, seasoning with a little salt, pepper, lime juice, garlic and olive oil. Add the herbs and red onion. Toss and serve.