LEG OF LAMB JAMIE OLIVER RECIPES

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomato in a large, flameproof oven dish or tin and season with the salt and pepper. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, then add the garlic halves to the dish. Sprinkle all over with the oregano. Pour the water into the dish and cover with foil, sealing the edges well to retain the moisture as it cooks. (A large enamelled, lidded, cast-iron pot, such as Le Creuset, would also be suitable to cook this in.)

Cook in the oven for 2½–2¾ hours until the meat is falling off the bone, adding a little more water, if necessary, halfway through to keep the vegetables moist. Remove the foil (or lid) and add the feta, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes. After this time, check the consistency of the juices. If the dish seems a little dry, add a little more water. If too dilute, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish and reduce down the liquid on the hob.

Serve the meat in chunks or thick slices with the vegetables and juices.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2.

First make the curry paste. Place the cardamom pods in a small bag. Bash the pods with a rolling pin to release the seeds. Place the seeds in a pestle and mortar and grind to make a fine powder. Tip into a bowl, add the remaining paste ingredients and mix to a paste.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add the lamb cubes and brown in two batches to seal. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onions to the dish and fry for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a few seconds. Return the lamb to the dish, add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes – this brings out the flavours. Pour in the stock, and add the cinnamon, bay leaves and sugar. Season with salt and black pepper, cover with a lid, bring up to the boil and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hours, or until tender.

Just before serving, add the yoghurt and stir until smooth. Remove the cinnamon and bay leaves, check the seasoning and sprinkle with the coriander. Serve with rice.

Mary’s tips:

Can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Freezes well without the yoghurt.

1. Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 and place a roasting dish for the potatoes on the bottom.
3. Break the garlic bulb up into cloves, then peel 3, leaving the rest whole. Pick and roughly chop half the rosemary leaves. Peel and halve the potatoes.
4. Crush the peeled garlic into a bowl, add the chopped rosemary, finely grate in the lemon zest and drizzle in a good lug of oil, then mix together.
5. Season the lamb with sea salt and black pepper, then drizzle with the marinade and rub all over the meat. Place on the hot bars of the oven above the tray.
6. Parboil the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and allow to steam dry. Gently toss the potatoes in the colander to scuff up the edges, then tip back into the pan.
7. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs and whole garlic cloves to the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle over a good lug of oil. Tip the potatoes into the hot tray and place back under the lamb to catch all the lovely juices.
8. Cook the lamb for 1 hour 15 minutes if you want it pink, or 1 hour 30 minutes if you like it more well done.
9. Meanwhile, make the mint sauce. Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, then place in a small bowl. Mix in the sugar, a good pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of hot water and the vinegar.
10. When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes or so. Carve and serve with the roast potatoes, mint sauce and some seasonal greens.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Roughly chop the celery, carrots and onions, throwing into a large roasting tray as you go, with the bay leaves.
2. With a sharp, pointed knife, follow the lamb bone down about 10cm to 12cm (you are just making a ‘tunnel’ where you are cutting the meat away from the bone). Do this from the top end and the bottom end. Pierce the skin at an angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 or 8 times at random around the leg, then open up the incisions by poking your fingers down them to make a bit of space. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.
3. Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and peel and finely slice the garlic, then toss in a little drizzle of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. Push a little rosemary, a couple of slices of garlic and an anchovy fillet (if using) into each hole, adding any leftovers and a good splash of water to the trivet tray with the veg.
4. Place the lamb directly on the bars of the middle shelf of the oven, and place the tray on the shelf beneath. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and cook to your liking (see timings below).

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomato in a large, flameproof oven dish or tin and season with the salt and pepper. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, then add the garlic halves to the dish. Sprinkle all over with the oregano. Pour the water into the dish and cover with foil, sealing the edges well to retain the moisture as it cooks. (A large enamelled, lidded, cast-iron pot, such as Le Creuset, would also be suitable to cook this in.)

Cook in the oven for 2½–2¾ hours until the meat is falling off the bone, adding a little more water, if necessary, halfway through to keep the vegetables moist. Remove the foil (or lid) and add the feta, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes. After this time, check the consistency of the juices. If the dish seems a little dry, add a little more water. If too dilute, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish and reduce down the liquid on the hob.

Serve the meat in chunks or thick slices with the vegetables and juices.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2.

First make the curry paste. Place the cardamom pods in a small bag. Bash the pods with a rolling pin to release the seeds. Place the seeds in a pestle and mortar and grind to make a fine powder. Tip into a bowl, add the remaining paste ingredients and mix to a paste.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add the lamb cubes and brown in two batches to seal. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onions to the dish and fry for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a few seconds. Return the lamb to the dish, add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes – this brings out the flavours. Pour in the stock, and add the cinnamon, bay leaves and sugar. Season with salt and black pepper, cover with a lid, bring up to the boil and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hours, or until tender.

Just before serving, add the yoghurt and stir until smooth. Remove the cinnamon and bay leaves, check the seasoning and sprinkle with the coriander. Serve with rice.

Mary’s tips:

Can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Freezes well without the yoghurt.

1. Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 and place a roasting dish for the potatoes on the bottom.
3. Break the garlic bulb up into cloves, then peel 3, leaving the rest whole. Pick and roughly chop half the rosemary leaves. Peel and halve the potatoes.
4. Crush the peeled garlic into a bowl, add the chopped rosemary, finely grate in the lemon zest and drizzle in a good lug of oil, then mix together.
5. Season the lamb with sea salt and black pepper, then drizzle with the marinade and rub all over the meat. Place on the hot bars of the oven above the tray.
6. Parboil the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and allow to steam dry. Gently toss the potatoes in the colander to scuff up the edges, then tip back into the pan.
7. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs and whole garlic cloves to the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle over a good lug of oil. Tip the potatoes into the hot tray and place back under the lamb to catch all the lovely juices.
8. Cook the lamb for 1 hour 15 minutes if you want it pink, or 1 hour 30 minutes if you like it more well done.
9. Meanwhile, make the mint sauce. Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, then place in a small bowl. Mix in the sugar, a good pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of hot water and the vinegar.
10. When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes or so. Carve and serve with the roast potatoes, mint sauce and some seasonal greens.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Roughly chop the celery, carrots and onions, throwing into a large roasting tray as you go, with the bay leaves.
2. With a sharp, pointed knife, follow the lamb bone down about 10cm to 12cm (you are just making a ‘tunnel’ where you are cutting the meat away from the bone). Do this from the top end and the bottom end. Pierce the skin at an angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 or 8 times at random around the leg, then open up the incisions by poking your fingers down them to make a bit of space. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.
3. Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and peel and finely slice the garlic, then toss in a little drizzle of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. Push a little rosemary, a couple of slices of garlic and an anchovy fillet (if using) into each hole, adding any leftovers and a good splash of water to the trivet tray with the veg.
4. Place the lamb directly on the bars of the middle shelf of the oven, and place the tray on the shelf beneath. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and cook to your liking (see timings below).

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomato in a large, flameproof oven dish or tin and season with the salt and pepper. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, then add the garlic halves to the dish. Sprinkle all over with the oregano. Pour the water into the dish and cover with foil, sealing the edges well to retain the moisture as it cooks. (A large enamelled, lidded, cast-iron pot, such as Le Creuset, would also be suitable to cook this in.)

Cook in the oven for 2½–2¾ hours until the meat is falling off the bone, adding a little more water, if necessary, halfway through to keep the vegetables moist. Remove the foil (or lid) and add the feta, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes. After this time, check the consistency of the juices. If the dish seems a little dry, add a little more water. If too dilute, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish and reduce down the liquid on the hob.

Serve the meat in chunks or thick slices with the vegetables and juices.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2.

First make the curry paste. Place the cardamom pods in a small bag. Bash the pods with a rolling pin to release the seeds. Place the seeds in a pestle and mortar and grind to make a fine powder. Tip into a bowl, add the remaining paste ingredients and mix to a paste.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add the lamb cubes and brown in two batches to seal. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onions to the dish and fry for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a few seconds. Return the lamb to the dish, add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes – this brings out the flavours. Pour in the stock, and add the cinnamon, bay leaves and sugar. Season with salt and black pepper, cover with a lid, bring up to the boil and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hours, or until tender.

Just before serving, add the yoghurt and stir until smooth. Remove the cinnamon and bay leaves, check the seasoning and sprinkle with the coriander. Serve with rice.

Mary’s tips:

Can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Freezes well without the yoghurt.