How to carve a leg of lamb

Roast leg of lamb with honeycomb and minted Jersey Royals by Shaun Rankin

A classic combination of flavours, the classic leg of lamb for Sunday roast is given a deliciously sweet finish with the addition of sticky honeycomb. This roast lamb recipe from Shaun Rankin is the perfect meal for a family with simple accompaniments — potatoes, mint, peas — making preparation and clearing up a breeze. For more advice on cooking this cut, visit our how to cook a leg of lamb page.

Lamb

3 sprigs of rosemary
3 sprigs of thyme
4 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
2 kg leg of lamb
salt
pepper

To plate

450g of Jersey Royal potatoes
5 sprigs of mint
500g of frozen garden peas
85g of butter
150g of honeycomb

Roast lamb leg

Preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas mark 9.Snip the rosemary and thyme into small sprigs. Using a small knife, pierce six or seven holes in the lamb and stud with the rosemary, thyme and garlic.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until cooked to your liking.

 

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Towards the end of the cooking time, cook the Jersey Royals in boiling salted water with three of the mint stalks, for 10 – 15 minutes or until tender. Place the frozen peas in boiling water and bring the water quickly back to the boil. Cook for approximately 2 - 5 minutes or until just tender.

 

Chop the remaining mint and mix together with the warm Jersey Royals and butter. Carve the lamb and serve with the potatoes, peas and a scattering of fresh honeycomb.

 

​Kashmiri-style roast lamb shanks with cranberries, pistachios and almonds by Sumayya Usmani

Sumayya Usmani introduces a traditional Kashmiri-style lamb recipe that is often cooked at Christmas in her native Pakistan. The tender lamb shanks are marinated overnight in an aromatic mix of spices and yoghurt, with almonds, pistachios and cranberries for added texture and flavour.

Dry Spice Blend:
1/4 stick of cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod
1/2 tsp black cumin, or regular cumin
1/2 blade of mace
1/2 tsp of cloves
1 tbsp of dried rose petals

Lamb and marinade

2 lamb shanks, about 820-840g in total
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp finely grated ginger
1 tsp garlic, crushed or finely grated
2 tbsp of bleached almonds
2 tbsp of pistachio nuts
2 tbsp of dried cranberries
300g of Greek yoghurt
salt
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp of ghee, or butter
6 tbsp of vegetable oil

In a spice grinder or food processor, grind together the dry spice mix until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl or sealed container and set aside.1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a pan over a high heat then add the red onion slices. Fry until browned all over then remove from the pan and drain any excess oil on kitchen paper.

 

When cool enough to handle, add the fried onions, ginger, garlic, nuts, cranberries, yoghurt, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to a large, deep-sided dish that will accommodate the lamb shanks.

 

Add a pinch of salt to taste and 1 large tablespoon of the spice mix and mix everything thoroughly together to form a marinade – reserve the rest of the spice blend to garnish later.

 

Add the lamb shanks to the marinade, making sure they are fully coated in the mixture. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.

 

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3.

 

Heat a large frying pan with the ghee or butter. remove the shanks from the marinade and seal the meat on all sides in the hot pan. Transfer to a large baking dish and pour over the marinade.

 

Cover loosely with foil and cook for 2 hours, removing the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Baste the meat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil during cooking. When cooked, the meat meat should be falling off the bone.

 

To serve, sprinkle with the reserved spice mix and serve with rice or vegetables as liked.

 

Shuwa with fragrant rice by Greg Malo

A favourite Omani recipe, shuwa (or 'chauwa') is a dish of slow-cooked marinated lamb or goat. The meat is coated in a flavourful rub of spices, garlic and oil, although exact recipes and spices used vary from region to region and are influenced at varying degrees by Asian, African and European cuisines. While shuwa is traditionally cooked wrapped in banana leaves and buried in a pit of hot coals to cook for anything from 6 hours to 2 days, Greg Malouf's recipe is suitable for cooking in the oven so is a great way to try this fantastic roast lamb recipe at home.

Roast lamb shuwa

1 leg of lamb, bone in
1/2 garlic bulb, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 nutmeg, grated
1/2 tbsp of ground cumin
1/2 tbsp of ground coriander
1/2 tbsp of sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tbsp of turmeric
1 pinch of hot smoked paprika
juice of half a lemon
50ml of olive oil
2 banana leaves, or more as needed to wrap the lamb 

Fragrant rice

20 saffron threads
1/2 onion, finely diced
50g of fine wheat vermicelli
400g of basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
600 ml of chicken stock
juice of half a lemon
20 ml of olive oil

In a large pestle and mortar, crush the garlic cloves with the sea salt to create a smooth paste.

1/2 garlic bulb, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt

Add in all the dry spices, followed by the lemon juice and olive oil. Blend into the garlic paste until evenly combined.

1/2 nutmeg, grated
1/2 tbsp of ground cumin
1/2 tbsp of ground coriander
1/2 tbsp of sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tbsp of turmeric
1 pinch of hot smoked paprika
juice of half a lemon
​50ml of olive oil

Rub the spice paste all over the lamb, working it in thoroughly to completely and evenly cover the meat. Cover the lamb and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Before cooking, preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1 and remove the lamb from the fridge to bring it back up to room temperature.

Wrap the leg in the banana leaves, making sure it is fully enclosed. Place in a deep baking tray with any seams from the wrapping facing down to help the leaves stay in place during cooking. Cover the tray with tin foil, then bake in the oven for 1–2 hours – check the meat after an hour, as the exact cooking time will depend on the weight and thickness of the joint. The lamb should be tender and still slightly pink in the centre when done.

Allow the lamb to rest, still covered, for about 30 minutes while cooking the rice. Place the saffron threads in a small bowl or cup and cover with 60ml warm water. Leave to soak until adding to the rice.

Pour the olive oil into a large heavy-bottomed pan and place over a low heat. Gently sauté the onion for a few minutes until softened and translucent. Roughly break up the vermicelli and stir into the oil, allowing the pieces to colour and brown in the oil

Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil, then mix in the soaked saffron threads and dry spices. Cover everything with the stock and bring up to the boil. Cover the pan with a lid. Keeping the heat low, allow to cook for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated. Fluff up the rice with a fork, adding a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving.

To serve, unwrap the rested lamb and carve into generous slices. Serve immediately with the rice on the side.

​Recipes courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more delicious roast lamb recipes