- 1200g leg of lamb, boned & rolled
- 1½ garlic bulb
- 1½ lemon
- A handful of rosemary, leaves only
- 3 onions
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 200ml beer, wine, vegetable stock or water
- 1.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan180°C/Gas 6. Unwrap the lamb and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place it in on a board and leave to one side for 30 mins-1 hr, to come to room temperature.
- 2.
Pull 2 cloves of garlic from the bulb. Peel and finely grate them. Zest the lemon. Finely chop the rosemary leaves. Stir together with 1 tbsp olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.
- 3.
Make a few small cuts all over the lamb leg with a sharp knife. Rub the garlic, lemon and rosemary marinade all over the lamb, pushing some into the cuts.
- 4.
Cut the zested lemon into quarters. Peel and finely slice the onions. Pop the lamb in a medium-sized roasting tin. Nestle the onions, remaining garlic bulb and the lemon wedges in the tin as well.
- 5.
Roast the lamb in the oven for 40 mins, after which it should be cooked medium. If you’d prefer it less pink, cook for a further 10-15 mins.
- 6.
Take the lamb out of the oven, remove it from the tin and pop it onto a clean board. Loosely cover with foil and leave to rest for 20 mins.
- 7.
Pluck the garlic bulb from the tray. Squeeze the cloves from the papery skins and pop them back in the roasting tin. Set the lemon wedges aside.
- 8.
Pop the tin on a medium heat on the hob. Pour in 200ml beer, wine, stock or water. Simmer for 15 mins, scraping any lamb bits from the base with a wooden spoon. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Skim off any fat. Serve the lamb with the gravy and roast lemon wedges.
- Tip
Extra thick
If you prefer a thickened gravy, mash 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp plain flour to make a paste. Add the stock, beer, wine, stock or water to the onions and garlic in the tin and bring to a gentle boil, then slowly stir in the butter andf flour mix (roux), adding a small lump and stirring it in till it dissolves before adding the next lump. Simmer for a few mins and your gravy should thicken up nicely. - Tip
On the side
Buttery carrots tossed with a handful of grassy green herbs makes a delicious side dish to go with this lamb. Trim and scrub 500g carrots (peel them if you prefer) and halve or quarter them so they are all roughly the same thickness. melt a thumb-sized chunk of butter in a deep frying pan, then add the carrots, season and toss to mix in the butter. Pour in enough vegetable stock to come halfway up the carrots, clamp on a lid and gently cook over a low heat for 20-30 mins till tender. Add chopped parsley, mint, chives, tarragon or chervil to the carrots just before serving.
