Spiced Deboned Leg of Lamb with Fresh Herb Dressing

• Main Ingredient: Leg of Lamb
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours plus
• Serves: 8-10
• Recipe by: Le Creuset

METHOD

For the dressing, pour boiling water over the herbs and stir; immediately drain through a sieve and plunge into ice water. Once the herbs are cold, drain from the water and squeeze any excess water out. Place in a blender with the remaining ingredients and one ice cube and blend until smooth; season to taste. And set aside in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-assisted.

Combine all the spices, seasoning and olive oil and mix to combine. Rub over the lamb, covering the entire surface and inside the cavity where the bone was. Place 2 of the lemon halves inside the cavity and truss with butcher’s twine to secure and shape the meat.

Place the lamb in a Le Creuset 32cm Heritage Rectangular Dish and arrange the remaining lemons. Cover with tin foil and roast for two and a half to 3 hours, basting every 40 minutes with pan juices. Remove the tinfoil in the last 40 minutes of cooking time. Be careful to watch that it does not catch; the spiced crust can get dark quite quickly. Allow the lamb to rest for 10 – 20 minutes and serve warm sliced with the cold herb dressing and grilled red peppers. Serve with handmade crispy lavash bread torn into roasted butternut and labneh salad with lots of fresh herbs like mint, basil, coriander and pink pickled onions.

FOR THE HANDMADE CRISPY LAVASH FLATBREADS:

Mix the water, milk, oil, yeast, sugar, and salt together. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, slowly add the flour in and allow to knead for 8 – 10 minutes until it forms a smooth elastic dough. This can be done by hand; kneading may take a little longer. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and rub your dough with a bit of oil to prevent the skin from forming. Cover the dough, place it in a warm spot and allow it to rise for 40 minutes. Gently knock down the dough and cut the dough to divide into 40g balls. Lightly flour your surface, shape the dough into neat balls, and cover with a tea towel to ensure they don’t dry out. Roll out the balls as thinly as possible.

Heat a Le Creuset 24cm Toughened Non-Stick Shallow Frying Pan over medium heat and fry in a mixture of butter and olive oil until the bread is crispy and golden, about 45 seconds to a minute each side. Fry in batches, wipe the pan clean after every bread and keep the bread stacked under a tea towel until ready to serve.

TIPS:
• Don’t overheat the water and milk, as it will kill the yeast.
• Don’t add salt directly to the yeast, as it will kill the yeast. Rather mix the yeast with the milk, water, and sugar before mixing in the rest of the ingredients.
• Wipe the pan with a paper towel before making the next bread to remove any excess grease.