The Secret Steps A Chef Swears By For Perfect Roast Lamb

I think Easter might be my second-favourite holiday of the year after Pancake Tuesday.

Not only are the celebrations simple (you must eat chocolate, and then have some more), but they’re mercifully brief. Also, the period usually involves some delicious roast lamb.

It seems I’m not the only one excited for the dish of the moment. Kevin Bonello, executive head chef at Legacy at The Grand, York, has perfected his own recipe for Easter Sunday.

Here are his tips for sourcing and cooking the best roast lamb:

Visit your butcher for the best cut

The chef recommends going to a butcher for your lamb if possible.

“When available, you should choose lamb that has been hanged for around ten days, as this will result in a much more flavourful dish,” Bonello explains.

And while many of us plump for lamb belly or loin over Easter, the chef prefers a shoulder or leg joint.

“These cuts are best suited to long and slow roasting hours in which their full flavour can develop,” he continues.

“Roasting meat on the bone also keeps the meat really tender.”

The culinary expert also shared his secret ingredient for perfectly seasoned lamb.

Among the herbs and spices Bonello adds to his own roast lamb recipe is Ras el Hanout, a North African spice mixture that often contains cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, mace, and ginger.

He also combines a redcurrant glaze with lamb’s traditional mint for a rich, sweet, tangy taste.

So… what’s the recipe?

Ingredients:

1 leg of Yorkshire lamb, approx. weight 2kg
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
2 tsp mustard powder
50ml vegetable oil
1tbsp whole grain mustard
1 pinch Ras el Hanout spice
1 pinch fresh cumin
100g roughly chopped mirepoix (carrot, onion, garlic and celery)
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
50ml sherry vinegar
200ml red wine
800ml beef stock
100g mint sauce.

Method:

Score the surface of the lamb leg, making shallow incisions every 2cm.
Rub the leg with the oil, Ras el Hanout, cumin, salt and pepper, and set aside to macerate for 30 minutes.
In a heated skillet, seal off the marinated lamb leg on all sides, then rub with whole-grain mustard and set aside again.
In the same skillet, add the chopped vegetables, roasting them until brown, then deglaze with the sherry vinegar and red wine until the mix has reduced by half.
Add the beef stock to the skillet, placing back the sealed-off lamb leg, cover with a lid and place in the oven at 160 degrees for 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
Whilst the lamb is in the oven, make the glaze by whisking together the chopped rosemary, mustard powder and red currant jelly.
Once the initial cooking time has finished, remove the lamb from the oven, take off the lid and brush with the red currant glaze. Return it to a hot oven at 200 degrees, cooking for another 30 minutes until nicely glazed.
Take the leg out of the oven, remove it from the stock and set aside, covered with aluminium foil. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Strain the leftover stock and reduce. Then mix in the mint sauce and use this to serve with the lamb.

I’m drooling already…

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