Roast lamb stuffed with apricot & mint

‘If you ask for a tunnel-boned leg of lamb, then you’ll end up with a neat enclosed joint. Alternatively, you can roll the meat over the stuffing and tie it well, or, if you have a friendly butcher, ask if you can take the stuffing to them so they can roll and tie the lamb for you.’ Aidan Mcgee thegeorgeanddragonw1.com

SERVES 6 PREP 30 mins COOK 1 hr 10 mins plus resting MORE EFFORT

1 leg of lamb (about 2kg), boned (ask your butcher to do this for you) oil

100g carrot, chopped

100g leek, chopped

100g celery, chopped

1/2 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves and lightly crushed

1/2 pack rosemary

500ml lamb or chicken stock

for the stuffing

200g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped

1/2 pack mint, leaves picked and finely chopped

150-200g breadcrumbs (using 200g gives you more solid stuffing, which is easier to carve; 150g is softer and more spoonable)

1 egg

1 Lay the lamb, skin-side down, on a board – if the joint you bought is tied up, then snip the strings and unroll it. Cut several pieces of string long enough to tie around the lamb, then slide them under the joint so they’re regularly spaced out. Mix the stuffing ingredients together, and season well. Spread the stuffing out along the middle of the lamb, then fold the meat over to form a roll. Tie the string so the roll stays together, but don’t make it too tight or it will cut into the meat. Tie some string lengthways too, if necessary. 2 Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Season the lamb evenly all over. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then brown the lamb all over. Start with the side where the seam meets, as this will stop the lamb breaking up when you carve it. 3 Tip the veg, garlic and rosemary into a roasting tin and put the lamb on top, seam-side down. Cook the lamb until the core temperature reaches 60C on a meat thermometer – this should take around 1 hr for a 2 kg leg. As you rest the lamb, the temperature will continue to rise so don’t overcook it.

4 Lift the lamb out of the tin and, keeping it warm, rest for up to an hour. Put the roasting tin on the hob. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into a saucepan, scraping up any bits. Add 500ml water and then simmer again until reduced by half. Pour through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb.

GOOD TO KNOW iron • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 846 kcals • fat 48g • saturates 22g • carbs 33g • sugars 15g • fibre 4g • protein 67g • salt 1.0g

Ready in just over two hours, this lamb reduces the stress of the Big Day