Lamb leg
In this tutorial we’ll prepare lamb leg with a spicy, homemade harissa, for a rich, powerful taste. We’ll serve it with asparagus, potatoes and mint sauce, but the lamb leg is definitely the star of the show here.
You will need:
Harissa:
6 red chillies, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of smoked/sweet paprika
1 tablespoon rose water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Rapeseed oil
Mint sauce:
8 sprigs of mint, leaves only
Large pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of boiling water
Leg of lamb
Bunch of asparagus
500g new potatoes (ideally jersey royals)
250ml red wine
Serves 2
Make the harissa by blending the ingredients together
Put the lamb leg in a dish lined with foil, then sprinkle generously with salt
Score it with a small knife
Cover the entire cut of meat with harissa
Pour in the red wine
Cover with baking foil and roast in a preheated oven on 160 degrees celsius for four hours
Pull apart with forks and leave to rest in the juices
Reserve the juice to serve with the lamb
For the potatoes, chop them into chunks and boil for about 5 minutes
Drain after 5 minutes of boiling, then roast in a preheated oven on 200 degrees celsius for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown
For the mint sauce, remove the mint leaves from the stem, roll them together, sprinkle with salt and chop finely and place into a bowl
Add a little brown sugar and white wine vinegar – then some boiling water
Stir together and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes – so the flavours can mutually infuse
To prep the asparagus, just remove any tough bits from the lower stalk
We’re just going to griddle them on a high heat
Rub the asparagus with oil, then arrange in the pan with a generous pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes
Turn them occasionally to avoid any really burned areas
Serve on large platters for people to share or individually plated up