SPRING lamb is often a feature of the family roast, whether you are cooking on the barbecue or in the comfort of the kitchen.
Sunday best where East meets West
And like many great dishes the preparation is often the key to helping create a dish with a little extra flair.
I like this easy approach to the traditional lamb roast. It's nothing too fancy or too hard.
Just a little forethought and some help from a couple of ingredients, both of which wouldn't necessarily have been part of the traditional roast lamb you might have been served at a Sunday visit to the grandparents.
This is an interesting Middle Eastern approach to roast lamb, which is best prepared a day ahead of eating to allow flavours to mature through overnight marinating.
It serves six.
SAFFRON-ROASTED LAMB
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 1 large pinch saffron threads
- 1kg boneless leg of lamb - an easy-carve leg is ideal
- 1 tspn ground sumac (a tangy Middle Eastern spice that adds a lemony flavour to meats and salads - available in the spice section of the supermarket)
- Coriander
- Spring onion
- Fresh mint
Grate the onion or puree in a food processor.
Put the onion into a fine sieve and press the pulp with the back of a wooden spoon to strain the onion juice into a large dish.
Discard the solids and set the juice aside.
Toast saffron in a small frying pan over high heat for a minute.
Crumble the toasted saffron into the reserved onion juice and stir until juice turns golden.
Put the lamb into a dish and turn to coat well.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator at least eight hours, turning and basting several times.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
If necessary, roll up and firmly tie the lamb with kitchen twine and put on a rack in a roasting pan.
Roast for 30-45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the lamb to rest for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the lamb with sumac, then slice, removing and discarding any twine as you carve.
Serve garnished with chopped fresh mint, chopped coriander and chopped spring onions.
