Lamb Three Ways
In Spring, British lamb is so delicious and is a real favourite in our house. So today, I bring you a trio of lamb dishes. Essentially it’s one main recipe and then three meals you can get out of it – always good!
The first is where the hard work comes in. To be honest it is so easy and takes 10 or so minutes and then you can get on with your day whilst the lamb cooks low and slow in the oven, perfect!
This is a recipe for a Moroccan dish called Mechoui Lamb. We had it on Easter Sunday as something a bit different to the traditional roast. The meat is so tender and doesn’t need to be carved as it simply breaks up with two forks. The outside has a beautiful spicy crust and the juices are full of flavour from the lamb, butter and spices.
I served this with mashed potato and roasted vegetables. If you have an Instant Pot you’re going to want to check out my quick and easy mash recipe here.
Slow Roast Mechoui Lamb
Serves 6-8
- Ingredients:
- 100g softened butter
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin or whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2-inch piece ginger, finely grated
- Salt
- 2kg – 2.5kg leg of lamb
- 4 cloves of garlic, cut into thin slices
- 4 onions cut into 1cm slices
- 1 cup water
Step 1: Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C. Make the spiced butter by mixing the butter with the spices and ginger and season with ½ tsp salt (I used my hands to ensure it was blended well).
Step 2: Use kitchen paper to pat the lamb leg dry. Use a sharp knife to cut incisions all over the flesh of the lamb, and insert the slices of garlic so the lamb is dotted with white flecks.
Step 3: Rub the spiced butter all over the lamb (both top and bottom should be coated), and then season with salt.
Step 4: Put the sliced onion rings across the bottom of a roasting tin and sit the lamb on top. Pour a cup of water into the roasting tin and then cover with a double-layer of foil, then place in the oven. Cook for 5 hours, then take the foil off, turn the oven up to 190C/fan 170C, and cook for another ½ hour.
Step 5: Remove the lamb from the oven and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes, then use two forks to shred the lamb into chunks.
The onions and juices make a lovely accompaniament to the mashed potato and roasted vegetables if you are serving these.
The next two meals use the leftover lamb, and in one case any leftover mash you have from meal one (or you can just make some specifically for the meal).
The first is so simple and easy to put together and requires no recipe. You simply serve the shredded lamb cold or you could heat it (I just zapped it for a couple of minutes in the microwave) with couscous, salads and Greek yoghurt with fresh or dried mint swirled through it.
The final meal is a hark back to my childhood and would always be served a day or two after a roast lamb. If you’ve never tried lamb rissoles (they were an alien concept to my husband before I first served them to him) then you must. The version I’ve given you here is the one I had growing up, however whilst researching other recipes I cannot find one quite like this that uses mashed potato and instead they contain breadcrumbs. My version is so tasty and wonderful served with a salad or vegetables of your choice. Well worth giving a go!
Lamb Rissoles
Makes 4
- Ingredients:
- 270g mashed potatoes
- 270g diced roast lamb
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/2 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 beaten egg (optional)
- Oil for frying
Step 1: Combine the mashed potatoes, diced lamb, chopped herbs and tomato ketchup in a large bowl. You should not need to add seasoning if the mash and lamb were previously seasoned. The mixture should be fairly sticky and stay together when pressed. If it is crumbly then add the beaten egg to help combine the mixture.
Step 2: Divide the mixture into four and shape into burgers/patties.
Step 3: Coat the rissoles in plain flour on their top and bottom. If you are making these ahead of time, it is at this stage you could put the rissoles in the fridge until ready to fry.
Step 4: Heat oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Cook the rissoles for a few minutes on each side until crisp and brown and hot all the way through.
Serve with a large green salad or vegetables of your choice.