- 1.8kg lamb roasting joint
- 1½ garlic bulb
- A handful of thyme, leaves only
- A handful of rosemary, leaves only
- 3 red onions
- 1½ chicken stock cube
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1½kg potatoes
- 750g carrots
- 600g purple sprouting broccoli
- 112½cl Giol Perla Frizzante
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 450ml boiling water
- 1.
Heat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Unwrap the lamb and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Place it on a board and make small cuts all over it with a small sharp knife.
- 2.
Pull 2 cloves from the bulb of garlic, then peel and finely chop them. Pick the leaves off the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Add the herb leaves to the garlic and chop a few times together to combine them. Rub the garlicky mixture all over the lamb, working it into the little cuts. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and set aside.
- 3.
Peel and finely slice the red onions, lay them in the bottom of a small roasting tin, and place the lamb joint on top. Halve the remaining garlic bulb around the middle and place the 2 halves in the tin. Crumble the stock cube into a heatproof jug and stir in 450ml boiling water to dissolve the stock cube. Pour the stock around the lamb.
- 4.
Cover the roasting tin with a loose layer of foil, scrunching the foil to the edges of the tin to seal it (or pop on a lid if your roasting tin has one). Slide the tin into the oven and roast for 3½ hrs.
- 5.
Take the roasting tin out of the oven and remove the foil from the lamb. Turn the oven temperature up to 240°C/Fan 220°C/Gas 9. Return the lamb to the oven for 25 mins to brown it.
- 6.
Lift the lamb out of the tin and pop it on a board or warm plate. Loosely cover with foil and leave to rest for 1 hr.
- 7.
Remove the garlic bulb halves from the tin and squeeze the soft half-cloves out of them. Pop the squeezed garlic into a cold bowl and pour in all the juices from the tin, along with the onions (the cold bowl will help set the lamb fat quickly so you can scoop it out).
- 8.
15 mins before you want to serve the lamb, scoop 2 tbsp of fat out of the bowl of roasting tin juices and pop into a pan. Scoop the rest of the fat off the lamb (you can keep it in the fridge for a few days for roasting veg). Stir 2 tbsp flour into the fat and cook, stirring for 2-3 mins. Slowly whisk in the juices from the roast tin till they are smoothly combined. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and bubble gently for 10 mins till the gravy thickens.
- 9.
When the lamb has rested for 1 hr, slice it and serve with the rich gravy poured over the top.
- Tip
You say potato, we say roast spuds
While the lamb slow roasts, scrub the potatoes and quarter them or slice them into 6 chunky pieces. Add them to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 10 mins to just start cooking them. Drain and set aside till the lamb comes out of the oven. Pop a tin with 2 tbsp oil - rapeseed or olive oil is great - into the hot oven for 10 mins so it's sizzling hot. Turn the oven down to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Add the potatoes to the oil and turn a few times to coat them. Return to the oven and roast for 40 mins till golden, shaking the pan once or twice. - Tip
That's your carrot
Trim and scrub the carrots, then slice them into batons about as big as a little finger. Place them in a deep frying pan or wide saucepan and add 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the carrots, season with a little salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 15-20 mins, tossing the carrots occasionally, till the carrots are tender and the sauce has reduced and become a little sticky. - Tip
Easy eating greens
Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Trim any dry ends off the purple spouting broccoli, then halve or chop any thick stems so you have florets about as big as an index finger. When it's boiling, drop in the psb and simmer for 2-3 mins till th florets just start to turn a darker green. Drain straight away then tip back into the pan, add a splash of olive oil and some salt and pepper and toss to mix. Warm a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan and when it's hot, add the psb. Dry fry for 4-5 mins, turning, till charred and smoky. Pop on a serving dish and squeeze over a little lemon juice to serve. - Tip
Keep your roast ready for Easter
The lamb joint we have sent you will keep in the fridge for 5 days. So if your Roast Box arrives earlier in the week, and you want to roast the lamb on Easter Sunday, then the best thing to do is freeze the lamb. Freeze it straight away, and defrost it for 24 hrs in the fridge before you get it ready to roast. Make sure all your veg and herbs are stored in the fridge as well, so they stay fresh and ready for cooking. - Tip
Cin cin
We've included a bottle of Giol Perla Frizzante with this box. It's a subtly floral fizz with a dash of bubbles that's refreshing on its own, or you could turn it into a spring cocktail by pouring 2 tsp elderflower cordial into each wine glass, then half filling the glass with frizzante and topping it up with soda water. Add a slice of lemon and a mint sprig to serve. - Tip
Happy Feaster
Looking for some delicious ways to cook the veg in your Easter Roast Box? We've got some simple recipe ideas to help you cook up a real Easter feast.
