Roasted lamb with garlic and rosemary
Roasted lamb with garlic and rosemary is a classic British dish, not just at Easter but throughout the year (particularly popular for Sunday Lunch). It’s normally served with roasted potatoes, steamed veggies and mint sauce. I use the lower shelf on the oven to roast other veggies too, such as parsnips, carrots, fennel or beetroot which complement roast lamb really well.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Cut the rosemary into 2-inch pieces. Peel and cut the garlic cloves in half.
- Put the lamb into a roasting dish.
- Make about 12 deep insertion in the meat and push one rosemary and one garlic into each slit. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then then rub with some oil. Sprinkle any leftover rosemary leaves on top. Scatter the remaining garlic and the onion around the meat.
- Put the dish in the middle of the preheated oven, then after 20 minutes lower the temperature to 180°C.
- Meanwhile calculate the roasting time: 15-20 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes, so a two-kilo joint takes about one and a half hour. After the calculated time, look at the meat, if it’s too pink, roast it for another 10-15 minutes ( BUT: it’s best not to overcook lamb – it should remain pink in the middle).
- Remove the dish from the oven, then transfer the lamb to a plate, cover and rest for 10-15 minutes.
- While the meat is resting, make the gravy: put the roasting tray on the stove, leaving the cooking juices in it. Add 100 ml vegetable stock, a little red wine, 1 Tbsp of cornflour, fresh herbs of your choice (parsley, mint etc) then stir(mashing the garlic pieces) until you get a silky, creamy gravy. Taste it and adjust the seasoning.
- Pour the gravy into a jug (through a sieve) and keep warm in the oven.
- Carve the lamb, then serve with your side dishes and drizzle with the gravy.