Ingredients
| 1 bone-in leg of lamb | |
| 1 recipe Hasselback Beetroot (see recipe) | |
| 1 recipe Lemon Labneh (see recipe) | |
| fresh coriander for garnish | |
| CHERMOULA | |
| 2 shallots or 1 onion, diced | |
| 8 cloves garlic, peeled | |
| 1 cup fresh coriander leaves | |
| 1 cup chopped fresh parsley | |
| 2 tablespoons oil | |
| juice of 2 lemons | |
| 1 tablespoon ground coriander | |
| 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt | |
| 2 teaspoons ground cumin | |
| 2 teaspoons ground or fresh turmeric | |
| 1 teaspoon garam masala | |
| 1 teaspoon smoked paprika | |
| 1 teaspoon chilli powder | |
| HASSELBACK BEETROOT | |
| 6–8 beetroot, ideally in a variety of colours | |
| 500ml vegetable stock | |
| 1 tablespoon oil | |
| flaky sea salt, to taste | |
| LEMON LABNEH | |
| 1kg plain yoghurt | |
| finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus extra zest for garnish | |
| flaky sea salt and ground white pepper |
Chermoula can be used on any meat and also works very well with eggplant and fish. Because it’s a wet marinade rather than a dry, spice-rub style of meat flavouring, I suggest marinating big joints like a leg of lamb overnight to allow the acid juices of the lemon to penetrate and start to tenderise.
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | To make the chermoula, either smash all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar until well combined or place them in a food processor and blitz until smooth. |
| 2. | Transfer to a large plastic bag, add the lamb leg, seal the bag and turn to coat the lamb. Chill overnight. |
| 3. | When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220°C fan-bake. |
| 4. | Remove lamb from the bag and place in a roasting dish. |
| 5. | Roast for 10 minutes on one side before turning and cooking for another 10 minutes. |
| 6. | Turn the oven down to 150°C fan-bake, cover the lamb with tinfoil and roast for a further 2 hours. |
| 7. | Remove the lamb from the oven, pull off the tinfoil and lay it back loosely over the lamb. Allow to rest for 30 minutes if possible. |
| 8. | To serve, turn the oven back up to 180°C fan-bake, remove the tinfoil and roast for a final 10 minutes. |
| 9. | Transfer to a carving board and garnish with coriander. |
| 10. | Serve accompanied by hasselback beetroot and lemon labneh. |
| 11. | HASSELBACK BEETROOT |
| 12. | Preheat oven to 180°C fan-bake. |
| 13. | Line an ovenproof cast-iron frypan or roasting dish with baking paper. |
| 14. | Peel the beetroot and cut in them in half. |
| 15. | Using a sharp knife, make a series of thin cuts three-quarters of the way down the beetroot. |
| 16. | Arrange them snugly in the prepared pan or dish. |
| 17. | Heat the vegetable stock until boiling. |
| 18. | Pour around the beetroot until it comes two-thirds of the way up the sides of the beetroot. |
| 19. | Drizzle with the oil and season well with salt. |
| 20. | Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until tender. |
| 21. | If there is too much liquid left over, simmer the pan on the stovetop to reduce the stock. |
| 22. | LEMON LABNEH |
| 23. | Place a piece of muslin or a clean tea towel in a deep bowl. |
| 24. | Spoon in the yoghurt, then wrap it up and tie the top. |
| 25. | Place a spoon through the knot and rest it on the rim of the bowl to suspend the yoghurt so it doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. |
| 26. | Place in the fridge and let it strain overnight. Resist the temptation to squeeze the cloth. |
| 27. | The next morning, tip the yoghurt into a clean bowl, add the lemon zest and juice and mix well. |
| 28. | Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve garnished with extra lemon zest. |
| 29. | Store in the fridge for up to 1 month. |
Extracted from
Good from Scratch
by Michael Van de
Elzen, photography
by Babiche Martens.
Published by Allen &
Unwin NZ. RRP $49.99.