Roast lamb with mint sauce is a quintessentially British dish. With Mothering Sunday just around the corner, now is the time to step out of the shadows and demonstrate your culinary prowess. Mother’s Day may be a bit early for home-reared seasonal spring lamb but there’s no shortage of imported options at the supermarket or butchers.
Choose the traditional bone-in leg or a boneless rolled joint. For a slightly sweeter taste, opt for shoulder of lamb.
Feeds: 4-6
Time to prepare: 15 minutes
Time to cook: Medium: 25 minutes per 450g (1lb) plus 25 minutes, Well done: 30 minutes per 450g (1lb) plus 30 minutes
Oven temperature: Gas mark 4-5, 180-190°C, 350-375°F
Ingredients
- 1.3kg (3lb) lean lamb leg, shoulder or half shoulder joint
- Salt and pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced lengthways
- 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary leaves
- 15ml (1tbsp) olive oil
- 45ml (3tbsp) lemon marmalade, melted
For the gravy
- 15ml (1tbsp) plain flour
- 600ml (1pint) good, hot lamb stock, homemade, if preferred
For the mint sauce (makes 150ml)
- 1 x 30g pack fresh mint leaves, stalks removed
- 60ml (4tbsp) light muscovado sugar
- 150ml (¼pint) boiling water
- 150ml (¼pint) white wine vinegar
Roast lamb with mint sauce – method
- Place the joint on a chopping board and make several slits on both sides. Season. In a small bowl mix together the lemon zest, garlic, rosemary leaves and oil.
- Stuff the mixture into the slits, brush with any of the remaining mixture, place the joint on a metal rack in a large non-stick roasting tin and cover and roast for the preferred, calculated cooking time. 40 minutes before the end of the cooking time remove the foil.
- 10-15 minutes before the end of the cooking time glaze the joint with the lemon marmalade.
- To prepare the mint sauce: pound together the mint leaves and sugar in a mortar and pestle to a rough paste. Alternately place in a food processor or blender and blend to a paste. Add the boiling water and leave to infuse for 5-10 minutes.
- When the mixture is almost cold, stir in the vinegar and transfer to a serving bowl. Leave the sauce to stand for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Serve with roast potatoes, spring vegetables and a good bottle of wine. Enjoy!
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