Minted Thyme Roasted Lamb
- Serves:
- 4 - 6
- Preparation time:
- 20
- Cooking time:
- 3.25 hrs
Ingredients
- 1.6-1.8kg New Zealand Lamb Leg, frozen
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
- 5 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 150g jam sugar (containing pectin)
- 1 small pack (around 20g) fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 350ml lamb stock (made with a lamb stock cube)
- 3 tbsp gravy granules
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Unwrap lamb and place in an oiled roasting tin. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme. Season with black pepper. Return to the oven for a further 2½ hours until the lamb is cooked.
2. Meanwhile, place the vinegar and jam sugar in a small saucepan with 175ml cold water. Heat slowly until the sugar dissolves then bring to the boil and boil hard for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the mint and pour into a heatproof serving bowl; chill until set.
3. Remove lamb from tin and transfer to a serving plate. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place. Spoon off as much fat as possible from the roasting tin Place tin on the hob and add the stock. Bring to the boil stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up the pan juices.
4. Carefully strain into a small saucepan and return to the hob. Stir in the gravy granules and 2 tbsp of the mint jelly. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the jelly is melted and the gravy thickened. Season to taste. Carve lamb and serve with mint jelly and gravy.
Tips and hints
- If time is short, simply roast the lamb with thyme as above and flavour the gravy with ready-made mint jelly.
- The lamb is cooked to medium for this recipe. For well-done meat, increase the initial cooking time by 30 minutes, and cover with foil for the last half an hour. Test internal temperature with a meat thermometer if unsure.
