Stuffed leg of lamb with golden potatoes
The idea of removing the hip and thigh bone from a leg of lamb while retaining the lovely shape of the shank bone comes from Jamie Oliver’s new cookbook Jamie Cooks Italy.
Serves 8–10 Preparation time: 1 hour Cooking time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Oven temperature: 200°C
• 1 large leg of lamb (about 2.25kg), hip and thigh bone removed
• 2kg medium-sized potatoes, peeled
• about 30ml Worcestershire Sauce
• 30ml olive oil
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, halved
• oil for deep-frying
• 80g fresh mint leaves, well-rinsed and patted dry
• ready-made mint sauce
STUFFING
• 125ml dried breadcrumbs
• 125ml flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 125ml fresh basil, finely chopped
• 60ml fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
• 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 60ml grated Parmesan • about 30ml lemon juice
1 Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and set aside.
2 Using a sharp knife, carefully butterfly the deboned part of the leg of lamb and spread the stuffing evenly over it. Roll up and tie with kitchen string to form a neat shape; place in a large roasting pan.
3 Preheat the oven. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes, drain and arrange around the lamb. Drizzle the Worcestershire Sauce and olive oil over and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the lamb and potatoes for 1 hour.
4 Remove from the oven and lift out the potatoes. Baste the lamb, add the garlic and roast for a further 15 minutes or until cooked as desired. Remember to let the meat rest properly before carving. The lamb will now be pink and juicy. (If you prefer lamb well-done, roast it in a cooking bag in the oven for 10–12 hours or overnight at 100°C until the meat falls off the bone.)
5 Scrape the potatoes with a fork to open up their surface area and deep-fry in hot oil until golden-brown and crunchy. Once all the potatoes are done, gently deep-fry the mint leaves for a few seconds until glossy, transparent and crispy. This garnish not only looks fresh but it also adds texture. Serve the succulent leg of lamb, garlic and potatoes with the crispy leaves and mint sauce.
Tip If you prepare the potatoes the day before and would like to deep-fry the potatoes just before serving, warm them up before immersing them in the oil for best results.