Easter is near and this year is truly a memorable one. This will be the first Easter not spent with our extended family. The Castro household is truly smaller this year. The eldest married and in Wales, and two in the U.S.A, our household, although not small, is dwindled.
I still have a grown-up daughter with a granddaughter in tow, and 1 teenager and 2 tweens...I know, HELP! LOL. This recipe is for a whole bone-in leg of lamb. It will roughly be around 2.300-2.400 kg. and will feed 8-10 people. Do not let that put you off if you are a smaller household, leftover lamb makes incredible sandwiches the next day.
This recipe is one you have all emailed me about. In fact, my inbox was so full this morning, I decided to skip my other scheduled blog posts and give you this one asap!
It is for my famous, slow-cooked, roasted leg of lamb. This is a classic here at our house. In fact, Mr. Castro loves this so much, that I usually have to make this several times a year.
My Mediterranean lamb is marinated for 48 hours and then slow-roasted for 4 1/2 hours. It is seriously tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked. Scouring the meat helps the flavours soak in and the lamb also cooks more evenly. The onion and garlic are also finely grated and added to the marinade. If you do not have a grater, you can pulse them in a food processor and finely mince them by hand, using a knife.
The slow cooking helps, but the secret is definitely in the marinade.
So, without further ado...my delicious lamb recipe. Garnish with fresh mint just before serving.
Happy Easter xoxo
Mediterranean Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Serves 8-10
4 1/2 hours cook time, plus 8 and up to 48 hours marinating
1 Bone-in leg of lamb
For the marinade:
500 g. Plain Greek yogurt
250 ml. Dry white wine
60 ml. Extra virgin olive oil
1 Lemon, zest, and juice
1/2 Onion, grated
6 Cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
3 tbsp. Dried oregano
2 tbsp. Fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
2 tbsp. Sweet paprika
2 tsp. Fine sea salt
4 Bay leaves
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
To roast:
100 ml. Water or chicken stock
To serve:
Fresh mint to taste
To marinate the lamb, I suggest a minimum of 8 hours. You really won't benefit from anything before that, except taste. The yogurt, salt, and wine, really work to tenderize the meat. The longer the better.
*Needed: 1 clean Bin/garbage bag, to marinate lamb. Freezer bags are not big enough.
1. Make several cuts along the leg of the lamb down to the bone. This will help the marinade penetrate the meat.
2. Open a bin/garbage bag, and place it in a roasting pan for support. Place leg of lamb in the bag.
3. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the marinade. Stir to mix thoroughly.
4. Pour marinade into the bag with lamb. Gather the bag and try to remove as much air as possible. Massage leg with the marinade. Seal bag and refrigerate lamb in the bag and in the tray for support and in case of any drips. Leave to marinate a minimum of 8 hours and up to 48.
When ready to roast.
1. Remove lamb from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
2. Open bag and tip leg of lamb and marinade onto roasting pan.
3. Add 100 ml. water or chicken stock ( the chicken stock is more flavourful )
4. Preheat oven to 160° C / 320° F
5. Cover lamb with foil tightly. You don't want any steam to escape.
To prevent the foil from sticking to the foil, I will sometimes cover the lamb with parchment/baking paper and then aluminum foil.
6. Place the roasting pan in the centre of your oven for 3 1/2 hours.
7. After 3 1/2 hours, remove foil and baking paper, if using, baste the meat with pan juices and continue roasting for 1 hour more to brown.
8. Remove lamb from oven. Let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
9. Serve with your choice of sides and garnish with fresh mint to taste.
