Mary Berry's Greek Roast Lamb

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!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A LEG OF LAMB
Lets face it, lamb is not the cheapest meat around. If you are going to spend your hard earned cash on a piece of meat you want to make sure you are getting the best cut possible for your money spent.
When buying lamb, you want to look for meat that is brownish pink in color with a layer of creamy white fat on the outside.
Avoid lamb that is gray in color, excessively bloody or has very yellow greasy fat. This means that the lamb is not as fresh as it should be, and I would be very suspicious of it.
Age and breed of the animal can vary the color somewhat. Rare lamb breeds or older animals tend to have more deeply colored flesh.
Leg of lamb can come both bone in and boneless. The boneless will have had the bone removed and the meat rolled and tied into a roast shape. Both are very good.

WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK MARY BERRY'S GREEK ROAST LAMB
Very simple ingredients and not a lot of them.

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

You could use dried rosemary for this, but I think that fresh rosemary is much better. In England rosemary used to grow wild in a lot of the hedges. I was never very far from fresh rosemary. I miss that!
It seems like a lot of garlic, but don't worry, it is the perfect amount. For the most part the slivers melt right into the meat, giving it the perfect flavor.

HOW TO MAKE MARY BERRY'S GREEK ROAST LAMB
It really couldn't be easier. Trust me. Trust Mary!

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 lamb 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.

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.

I will admit that I had a few reservations with this. I am used to my lamb being a lot pinker, but this was incredibly delicious. Tender and juicy.
The garlic was not overpowering in the least but flavored the lamb beautifully. It melted right into the meat. The fat on the outside was nice and crispy
She did suggest spooning the pan juices over the meat if you wanted to, but I have always found lamb juices to be a bit on the fatty side and prefer to either make a gravy separate, but mostly I just like to enjoy it with a sauce like mint sauce, or Cumberland sauce.
I also really love mint jelly with lamb.

This was delicious served with some boiled new potatoes rolled in butter and fresh herbs. I also served peas and carrots (with a bit of mint stirred in), some mashed sweet potatoes and mint sauce.
Some other delicious side dishes that you might enjoy are:
TWO POTATO GRATIN - Thinly sliced potatoes, sweet and white, layered in a dish with chopped onion, a bit of flour, seasoning and milk. The milk thickens and creates a rich and creamy sauce.
CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI CHEESE - You can also use just one or the other. Lovely tender vegetables in a rich and delicious cheese sauce, baked until golden brown on the outside.
BUTTER FRIED PARSNIPS - If you enjoy parsnips prepare to fall in love. Exactly what it says. Tender crisp golden rounds of parsnip fried in butter. Delicious!
HONEY DILL GLAZED TURNIPS & CARROTS - Lightly glazed with some butter and honey, then flavoured with dill . . . these arrive at the table glistening like jewels.
Yield: 6Author: Marie Rayner