Roast leg of lamb is something that a lot of people like to enjoy for Easter. One, this is the season of Lamb, Spring, and two, its just that tiny bit more special than a regular roast and much different than the turkey of Christmas.
Lamb just feels glamorous.
Shoulder of lamb is also very nice. I have cooked it on here before and it is succulent and melts in the mouth. You can find my recipe for slow roasted shoulder of lamb here. I've also cooked a boneless leg of lamb.
Today I am roasting a bone in leg of lamb and I am channeling Mary Berry's recipe for a Greek Roast Lamb. It is quite different than my usual leg of lamb.
First of all it is very simple and requires only a very few ingredients. Secondly it cooks long and slow. I am used to lamb being served medium rare, so this makes a bit of a change. I wasn't sure, but, if Mary Berry says its good, who am I to quibble!
- 4 lb. (2kg) leg of lamb
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
- 2 large rosemary sprigs, chopped
- 1 TBS olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- chopped fresh rosemary to garnish
SOME TASTY SAUCES TO SERVE WITH LAMB
Mint sauce - Combine 3 TBS finely chopped mint in a small bowl with 1 - 2 TBS fine sugar. Add 3 TBS white wine vinegar and stir well to combine.
Cumberland Sauce - Spoon 4 TBS of red currant jelly into a small saucepan. Heat gently to melt. Add 1/2 cup (120ml) red wine and the finely grated zest of one orange. Simmer, whisking constantly for 5 minutes. Whisk in the juice of 1 orange and 1/2 lemon. Simmer for a further 5 minutes and then strain into a sauce boat.
Tzatziki Sauce - Put 2/3 cup/150g of Greek yogurt into a small bowl. Whisk in the grated zest and juice of one lemon. 1 crushed clove of peeled garlic, 1 TBS chopped fresh mint and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill until needed.
Mary Berry's Greek Roast Lamb
Ingredients
- 4 lb. (2kg) leg of lamb
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
- 2 large rosemary sprigs, chopped
- 1 TBS olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- chopped fresh rosemary to garnish
Instructions
- Bring your lamb to room temperature by taking it out of the refrigerator at least half an hour prior to roasting it.
- Take a sharp knife and cut small incisions down into the lamb. Insert a sliver of garlic into each incision.
- Rub the lamb all over with the chopped rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop the roast into a deep roasting tin.
- Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C. gas mark 7. Once the oven is hot put the roasting tin with the lamb into the oven.
- Roast for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 285*F/140*C/ gas mark 1. Cover and cook for a further 3 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is really tender.
- Remove from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
- Carve the lamb and serve hot, garnished with rosemary with any pan juices spooned over top if desired.
Notes
Some sauces for lamb:
Mint sauce - Combine 3 TBS finely chopped mint in a small bowl with 1 - 2 TBS fine sugar. Add 3 TBS white wine vinegar and stir well to combine.
Cumberland Sauce - Spoon 4 TBS of red currant jelly into a small saucepan. Heat gently to melt. Add 1/2 cup (120ml) red wine and the finely grated zest of one orange. Simmer, whisking constantly for 5 minutes. Whisk in the juice of 1 orange and 1/2 lemon. Simmer for a further 5 minutes and then strain into a sauce boat.
Tzatziki Sauce - Put 2/3 cup/150g of Greek yogurt into a small bowl. Whisk in the grated zest and juice of one lemon. 1 crushed clove of peeled garlic, 1 TBS chopped fresh mint and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill until needed.
I thought that it would make the perfect dinner for today when I knew time was short and my energy would be flagging. I actually put them together this morning before I left and stuck them in the refrigerator, ready to throw into the oven for my supper tonight.
I did take them out about half an hour before I cooked them in order to bring them to room temperature. Here you have a delicious mix of sweet and white potatoes, along with broccoli, topped with chicken, cheese and bacon, with the flavors of ranch dressing running through out.
- 1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into six chunks
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into six chinks
- 1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and broken into florets
- 2 smallish boneless, skinless chicken breast portions
- 1 TBS dry ranch dressing powder, divided
- 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 rashers crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
I have always been a huge fan of foil cooking. Especially in the summer months when we can just throw the packs on the grill. If you are too, you may enjoy the following:
GRILLED CHICKEN FOIL PACKS - I give you three different versions here for ways to make chicken foil pack dinners. There is a Sweet and Sour Chicken pack, a Hunter's Chicken and Potato pack and a Honey Mustard Chicken pack. All are equally delicious!
You can cook anything in a foil pack like this. Salmon fillets are nice. Pork, lamb, beef. You can really use your imagination and put them together very easily. If you have children you can let them put together their own. Children love to think they are cooking! These really are great for camping or cookouts!
Cheesy Ranch Chicken & Bacon Foil Packs
Ingredients
- 1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into six chunks
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into six chinks
- 1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and broken into florets
- 2 smallish boneless, skinless chicken breast portions
- 1 TBS dry ranch dressing powder, divided
- 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 rashers crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat your outdoor grill to medium high. Alternately preheat your oven to 425*F/230*C/ gas mark 6.
- Tear four strips of aluminum foil measuring 8 inches wide. Stack them one on top of the other, making two piles.
- Place both potatoes and the broccoli in a bowl. Toss together with 1/2 of the ranch dressing mix and the oil. Divide the mixture evenly between the foil stacks, leaving a nice border around the edges.
- Top each pile of vegetables with 1 of the chicken breasts. Season the chicken with the other 1/2 TBS of ranch dressing mix. Top with half of the cheese and half of the bacon.
- Pull the foil up over the chicken and vegetables to meet in the centre. Pleat closed. Crimp the foil at both ends to completely contain the chicken. Place both foil packets onto a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven or on the grill for 20 to 25 minutes, at which time the vegetables should be cooked and tender, the chicken juices should run clear and the cheese will have melted.
- Be extremely careful when opening the packets due to steam escaping. Serve hot.
I thought it would be fun to share with you all of the meals that I have enjoyed eating over this past week. When you are a person that lives on their own there can be a tendency to eat out of tins, or to eat frozen meals. I don't want that to be my life and if I can inspire one person to also want to cook for themselves, then I think that's a great thing.
My late mother lived all on her own from the age of 54 to 81 when my sister and her partner Dan moved in with mom. By that point mom needed someone to take care of her as she had dementia and was no longer to really care for herself.
While my mother was able to she always cooked for herself. Every day she had a meal that she prepared and that she enjoyed. The odd time it might have been a tv dinner or something from the freezer. She loved Big Macs and when they put them on offer, she would buy four or five, have one for her tea and then freeze the other four to have as a treat on another occasion.
She did love to shop at M&M meats and would pick up boxes of chicken breasts and fish from there. She might have a chicken breast for her supper but she always cooked potatoes or rice to go with it and a vegetable.
I am a little bit more adventurous myself, but them I cooked for a living for years and am quite used to cooking for a larger family. Food excites me. I love to cook. Mom ate to live whereas I live to eat! That does make a difference in what you choose to eat.
Anyways, I thought I would share with you the main meals that I enjoyed over this past week. Usually on Sundays I have supper at my sisters with the family and every Wednesday night I go out to dinner with my father and his friends at a local eatery. Other than that, I cook everything myself. Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good. I like to eat a wide variety of things, although looking at the photographs for this week, I did have a very "red" week!
Oh well, some weeks are bound to be like that! Wherever possible I have given links to the recipes!
SUNDAY MARCH 19TH - Supper at my sisters
Cindy had prepared Roasted Spareribs in the Instant Pot, her Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Homemade Baked Beans and oven roasted tender stem broccoli. Everything was fabulously delicious. I love being included in these Sunday Suppers with my family.
MONDAY, MARCH 20TH - Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme, served with pan fried potatoes and oven roasted tender stem cauliflower. I had the opportunity to pick up some fresh Nova Scotia lamb and cooked it simply, not wanting to detract from its delicate flavor. This made a beautiful supper for the first day of spring.
TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST - Small Batch Spaghetti and Meatballs
This gave me enough to enjoy on the day and some to pop into the freezer for another time.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22ND - On Wednesday nights I always go out to supper with my father and his friends to a local eatery called The Big Scoop. The food is always hit and miss. I go for the company and to please my father. This weeks special was a Hot Turkey Poutine. I decided to have that. It was so/so. My own version is a lot tastier. Hot Turkey Poutine. Hot chips, covered in chunks of cooked turkey, turkey gravy, stuffing and cheese with a side of cranberry sauce.
THURSDAY MARCH 23RD - Herbed Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes
Crispy buttery garlic potatoes are shingled on a sheet pan and cooked alongside a fillet of breaded herbed cod fish. The cod is transferred to the potatoes at the end and the whole thing is popped under a grill and crisped up. I served it with a grilled half a tomato and some green beans.
FRIDAY MARCH 24TH - Stone Soup
I found it really chilly on Friday and so thought a bowl of soup would go down well. This is one of my favorites because it uses a bit of this and a bit of that. Its a delicious way to make your budget stretch and fill your tummy up with something hearty and warming at the same time. Chopped cabbage, onions, tomatoes, rice, stock, and a few seasonings combined together in a most delicious way! I enjoyed a lovely bowl of this along with some crackers on the side and a sprinkle of cheese on top.
And just in case you are wondering, here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. It is gorgeous in strawberry season, but in the winter time its a great way to use some of those mediocre strawberries they put out at the shops at a decent price that are often disappointing when you eat them raw. Cooking them helps to bring out their flavor. Combine that with rhubarb and you have a dessert made in heaven!
And those were my meals of the week for March 19th to 25th! Let me know in the comments section below if you enjoyed this post or not. I may make it a regular thing if you do!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
One thing which I really learned to love when I was in the UK was lamb. It was not something which I had ever really eaten very much of prior to going over there to live.
At our wedding supper I had roasted saddle of lamb and it was delicious. I fell in love. It was so tasty! My mother had only ever cooked lamb chops once for us when we were children. I think it was mutton actually as it smelled like she was burning mittens when she was cooking them.
None of us would touch them.
- 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds (julienne)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
If, like me, you are also fond of lamb, might I also suggest these other recipes to cook:
SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER - If you are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a shoulder of lamb, this is the perfect way to cook it. The meat ends up succulent and tender. This is fabulously delicious.
LAMB & DAMSON STEW - Lamb has a delicate almost sweet flavor that goes very well with fruit. You could also use apricots in this stew rather than plums if you cannot get the plums. It is incredibly tasty, especially with dumplings on top!
Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme
Ingredients
- 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
Instructions
- Take your lamb chops and rub them all over on both sides with the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside while you start the potatoes.
- Melt the butter in a skillet along with the oil. Once the butter starts to foam add the potato slices. Sprinkle all over with the pepper, salt and paprika. Cook slowly over medium heat until just beginning to turn on the bottom, flip over and season the other side with pepper, salt and paprika.
- Cover with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms and cooked through.
- Increase the heat to medium high.
- Push the potatoes over to one side. Add the lamb chops and sear on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, flip over. Add the lemon zest strips to the pan. Sear the chops on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over the honey. Turn the chops over to coat them in both the honey and the lemon.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
- Divide the lamb and potatoes between two heated plates, spooning some of the juices from the pan over the lamb.
- Serve immediately.
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