ROAST SPRING LAMB RECIPES

Steps:

• Peel the lemon thinly and chop half the peel. Squeeze out the juice of the lemon. Mix the lemon juice, peel, and garlic with the wine and oil.
• Place the leg of lamb in this marinade, cover and leave in the fridge for about 24 hours, turning frequently.
• Preheat the oven to 240°C | 475F | gas 9. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and place in a roasting dish along with the marinade. Roast on the bottom shelf of the oven for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel and wash the potatoes. Wash the artichokes and completely remove the stalks. Also remove the small, hard leaves around the stalk joint. Cut off the sharp tips of the artichokes with kitchen scissors. Wash and trim the spring onions and cut into pieces about 5 cm long, including the firm green parts.
• Set the oven to 180°C | 350F | gas 4. Arrange the potatoes and vegetables around the meat and roast for a further hour, basting frequently with the roasting juices. Turn the leg of lamb once.
• Switch off the oven and leave the meat, potatoes and vegetables in the oven for a further 30 minutes.
• Carve the meat and serve with the potatoes and vegetables. Pour the roasting juices over.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. For the lamb, scatter the vegetables, bay leaves and a few rosemary sprigs into a large roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. Use a sharp knife to make little slits all over the lamb. Poke a slice of garlic and a small sprig of rosemary into each one. Sit the lamb on top of the veg in the roasting tin, add a splash of wine, then cook for 2 hrs if you like it pink, or 2 hrs 15 mins for cooked through. Remove from the oven, transfer to a board and cover with foil, then rest for 45 mins-1 hr.
• To make the gravy, pour off most of the fat from the tin but leave the veg and any meat juices. Place the tin on the heat to caramelise the veg, then stir in the flour and cook to a paste. Gradually stir in the wine, cook for a min, then stir in the stock and simmer until you have a tasty gravy. Push the gravy through a sieve into a small pan and keep warm.
• Turn oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. For the crumbs, blitz everything in a food processor and scatter over a tray. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until crisp, then re-blitz or break up with your fingers to crumbs again. These can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container for 2 days. Serve the lamb carved into slices, sprinkled with crumbs and a jug of gravy alongside.