RACHEL LETT
This slow roast, leg of lamb is a crowd pleaser, and takes the fuss out of getting it “just right”. Typically, leg of lamb is preferred medium, but there will likely be a few people who prefer it more well done or rare. Melt in the mouth tender, succulent and full of flavour, this hits the spot for everyone. No more prodding and poking to check ‘doneness’, just simply pop it in the oven and walk away! A slick of pistachio verde sauce this is the perfect Sunday dinner, with hardly any time spent in the kitchen.
Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Pistachio Verde Sauce
SERVES 6
1 whole leg of lamb at room temperature
cooking fat like ghee, lard or tallow
3–5 sprigs of rosemary
5 garlic cloves
olive oil
salt & pepper
For the pistachio verde sauce
40g pistachio nuts
40g of soft herbs — a mixture like mint; basil or parsley
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon capers
2 anchovy fillets
50ml extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
Ingredients
Soak the pistachios in filtered water for 5 hours (or overnight) before cooking. This helps activate the nuts and improves digestibility. If don't have time and your digestion is optimal then you can skip this step. For more information on activating nuts, check out the article below.
Remove any packaging from the lamb and take it out of the fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking to bring to room temperature. This step isn't crucial, but helps to create even cooking and a nice crust on the outside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Rub the lamb with a thin coating of saturated cooking fat like ghee, lard, or tallow. Season with natural salt and pepper. Arrange the rosemary and garlic cloves in a roasting tray, where the lamb will lie. Place the lamb on top of the rosemary and garlic, and cover with a sheet of parchment (top tip for keeping moisture in and preventing the foil from sticking to the meat), and a sheet of foil.
Turn down the oven to 160°C (320°F) and cook the lamb for 2.5–3 hours, until the meat yields when pressed. Remove the cover, turn up the heat to 200°C (392°F), and roast for another 30 minutes until golden. Alternatively, if your oven has a grill option, you can use this to brown the meat. Grill for about 15 minutes until golden. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the meat is resting you can get on with making the pistachio verde sauce and any other accompaniments to the meat. Drain the pistachios from the soaking water and place on a baking tray. Roast the nuts at 180°C (356°F) for 7-10 minutes, until dry and toasted, with a slight golden colour.
In a blender, blitz the pistachios, herbs, mustard, capers and anchovy fillets until finely chopped and combined. Stir in olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pull or slice the lamb meat away from the bone and serve with a slick of pistachio verde sauce.