STUFFING FOR LAMB RECIPES

1. Stuffing a leg of lamb is a great way to transform a regular cut into something a bit special for Easter, and this recipe ensures it’ll be bursting with flavour. If you’ve never made homemade gravy before, give it a go – you can’t beat it!
2. Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Turn the leg of lamb upside down on a chopping board and very gently cut halfway down into the leg along the bone so the meat opens out, creating a pocket.
3. Make your stuffing by peeling a couple of garlic cloves and popping them into a food processor. As it’s whizzing away, add the parsley and rosemary leaves, then the anchovies. Scrape this mixture into a bowl, then add the ciabatta and pine nuts to the processor. You want it to be quite coarse so just pulse it a few times, then tip it into your bowl of herbs along with the chopped olives and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, then get your clean hands in the bowl and scrunch everything together. If it looks too dry, add a little lemon juice.
4. Pack this stuffing into the pocket of the lamb, then wrap the meat back over and tie it tightly with string, pushing the remaining rosemary sprigs underneath the string. Drizzle over a little olive oil, pat this into the lamb and season with salt and pepper.
5. Place your roughly chopped onion, carrot and celery in a roasting tray with any remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and lay your lamb on top. Roast for about an hour and a half. In Italy, they’ll start basting the lamb after 30 minutes by pouring a swig of wine over the meat and veg every 15 minutes or so until the meat is cooked. Trust me – it is well worth doing and makes it juicy and delicious! When cooked, transfer the lamb to a board or platter to rest while you make your gravy.
6. Spoon off most of the fat from your tray, then put it on the hob over a low heat. Add the flour and mash everything together with a potato masher. Add a glass of red wine and bring to the boil, to cook off the alcohol. Pour in the stock and bring back to the boil, scraping all the goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Sieve your gravy into a jug or pan, using a ladle to really push all the goodness through. Discard any veg or meat left behind. At this point, your lamb will have been resting for around 15 minutes and will be perfect for serving. Dish it up and tuck in!

Jamie’s tip: Ask the butcher to debone the lamb, then slice into it so you can open it out like a book. Get them to break up the bones, too – epic gravy, incoming!

Get ahead: For the stuffing, put a high-sided roasting tray (25cm x 30cm) on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins straight into the pan, breaking it up with the back of a spoon. Let the sausage start to crisp up, stirring occasionally, then tear in the sage leaves. Trim the fennel, peel the onions, then roughly chop both, add to the tray, and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes, or until soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine and let it completely cook away, then season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Chop the bread into 2cm chunks and stir in, then turn the heat off and leave to cool completely.

Lay out the lamb on a clean work surface. Scrunch and spread the cold stuffing all over the meat, then roll it up, sealing the filling inside (if any falls out, just poke it back in at the ends once tied up). Cut yourself eight 60cm lengths of string, slide them underneath the lamb at regular intervals, then tie them up at the top. Wipe out the tray, chuck in the lamb bones, break apart and add the unpeeled garlic bulb, then sit the lamb on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

On the day: Preheat the oven to full whack (240ºC). Get the lamb tray out of the fridge, rub the meat with a little olive oil, place in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 150ºC. Roast for 4 hours, or until tender, basting every hour with the tray juices and adding a splash of water each time. Remove from the oven and transfer the lamb to a serving platter. Cover with tin foil and a clean tea towel, and leave to rest for 1 hour.

Use a spoon to skim the fat off the tray of bones (save it in a jar for tasty cooking another day). Put the tray over a medium heat on the hob and stir in the flour, jam and a swig of red wine vinegar, scraping up all the sticky bits from the base of the tray. Cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in 1.2 litres of water. Let it simmer on a low heat to the consistency of your liking, stirring occasionally. Pass the gravy through a sieve into a pan and season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Simmer on the lowest heat until needed.

To serve: Uncover the lamb, spooning any resting juices into the gravy. Cut away the string, then spoon over the Green sauce (page 167). Take it to the table, ready to carve in front of your guests.

CALORIES 458kcal FAT 28.5g SAT FAT 12.5g PROTEIN 30g CARBS 17.4g SUGAR 1.3g SALT 0.7g FIBRE 1g