This butterflied lamb stuffed with garlic and spinach by Salted Mint makes a top tier Sunday roast. Preparing it for Easter lunch? Load onto a platter with roast potatoes, spring veggies and Yorkshire puddings for an impressive, beautiful centrepiece for your table.
Lamb Temperatures
Rare: 52 °C
Medium: 60 °C
Well done: 71 °C
I use the Thermapen thermometers because, they’re the fastest reading probe on the market. Not only that, but in my 10 years of working in Michelin star kitchens, Thermapen is all we ever used. That’s right. At every restaurant (6!!!) Thermapen is what we used. Always.
Ingredients
- 1 kg 2 lb boneless leg of lamb, butterflied (room temperature) (see notes)
- 2 cups spinach packed
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 sprig of rosemary 1 chopped, 2 whole
- sprig of thyme leaves picked
- 3 onions thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
For the Yorkshire puddings
- 100 ml milk
- 100 g plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
- 1/4 cup oil divided
For the carrots
- 1 bunch carrots, washed and tops trimmed (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 sprig thyme leaves picked
For the potatoes
- 2 cups baby new potatoes about 12 cut into quarters
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
For the cabagge
- 1 spring cabbage sliced
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- zest of 1 lemon
Directions
For the lamb
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over a medium heat. Add the garlic slices and cook until slightly golden. Add the herbs and the spinach and cook until just starting to wilt. Add the lemon zest and mix well. Set aside to cool down.
- Butterfly the leg of lamb and season with salt and pepper. Spread the spinach evenly over the lamb and tie with butcher’s twine. Tuck 2 rosemary springs into the twine.
- In a roasting tray spread the sliced onions in an even layer. Season and place the lamb on top. Place in the preheated oven and cook until it reaches your desired temperature.
- Once the lamb is cooked, leave to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving (or until the internal temperature starts to drop).
- Save the pan with the onions — this is for the gravy.
For the potatoes
- Cut the potatoes into quarters and parboil until they are mostly tender. Toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some sea salt and pepper. Roast in the oven with the carrots until they are tender and soft on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside. (see notes)
For the carrots
- Trim the tops of the carrots and make sure that they’re clean. It’s not necessary to bother peeling them. Just give them a good wash. Toss with the olive oil and drizzle with the honey. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender and golden.
For the cabbage
- Use the skillet that you wilted the spinach in. Heat it over a medium heat and add some olive oil and garlic. Sauté the cabbage and add the lemon zest. Cook until the cabbage is wilted and some edges are starting to colour. Set aside and keep hot.
For the Yorkshire puddings
- Whisk all the ingredients together except the oil. Set aside.
- Divide the oil in a 24-cup mini muffin tin. Heat the oil for about 10 minutes.
- Evenly pour the batter between all the cups and place back in the oven for about 20 minutes. DO NOT open the door during the first 10 minutes of cooking time; otherwise, the puddings may collapse. (see notes)
Notes
- If you’re not comfortable butterflying the leg of lamb, you can ask your butcher to do this for you.
- If you’re using young carrots with the tops still on, there’s no need to peel them. Simply cut the tops off and wash the carrots well.
- The potatoes can be quartered and par-boiled the day before your dinner and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to roast them.
- The Yorkshire pudding batter can be made the day before and left in the fridge to rest. For a stress-free dinner, cook the puddings first and give them a quick reheat just before serving.
