HERB-STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Preparation 40 minutes Cooking around 1 hour 20 minutes, plus resting

A modern take on the traditional Easter roast.

1 BONELESS LEG OF LAMB, AROUND 2KG 100G PINE NUTS 100G PITTED GREEN OLIVES 100G SLICED WHITE BREAD SMALL BUNCH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, LEAVES PICKED SMALL BUNCH FRESH OREGANO, LEAVES PICKED SMALL BUNCH FRESH MINT, LEAVES PICKED 2 LARGE GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED 1 LARGE EGG, BEATEN 2 LEMONS – ZEST OF 1 AND JUICE OF 2 1-2 TBSP OIL 300ML WHITE WINE 2 TBSP HONEY 2 TBSP PLAIN FLOUR 800ML LAMB OR CHICKEN STOCK

1 Remove the lamb from the fridge an hour before cooking. In a food processor, whiz the pine nuts, olives, bread, herbs and 1 garlic clove to form a chunky stuffing. Put into a large mixing bowl and season. Add the egg, and zest and juice of 1 lemon.

2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Put the lamb on a chopping board, skinside down. Cut into the leg at the thinnest part and open out like a book. Without cutting through to the board, make slits to help form it into one flat slab. Cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin to flatten. Spread the stuffing on the meat and fold the shortest edges in to enclose them. Roll the meat from one short end to the other; secure with string at 3cm intervals and at each end. Put into a roasting tin, brush with oil and season. Pour the wine in the tin; roast for 15-20 minutes per 450g.

3 Crush the garlic clove and mix with the remaining lemon juice and the honey. Around 20 minutes before the end of cooking, brush the lamb with the honey mixture. When cooked, rest on a board, covered with foil, for up to 40 minutes.

4 For the gravy, remove loose stuffing from the tin and stir the flour into the juices to form a paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Whisk in the stock, bring to the boil and stir until thickened.