Twice marinated BBQ leg of lamb with baked potatoes & salad
This recipe was one Ian - our foodie created last year. In the switchover to our new site, it got lost in the mix and we've had some requests for it to be reposted. It is ideally a BBQ dish and it may still be too early for that but you can call that. You could always do this in the oven as well. Now that Lamb is in season again that's the most important part. Ian's particularly good with his pastes and marinades and this recipe takes full advantage of those!
Here goes:
Serves 6-8 people
Prep time 15 mins
Marinade time 8-24 hours
Cook time 35-50 mins depending on how you like your meat cooked
Ingredients
A boned and butterflied leg of lamb
For marinade 1
300ml grapeseed or groundnut oil
Whole 1/2 bulb of garlic (5 big cloves)
100g of preserved lemon
10g fresh thyme
5g fresh rosemary
1/2 tbsp pink or white peppercorns
For marinade 2
100ml rapeseed oil ( the healthiest type)
25g flat leaf parsley
3cloves of roasted garlic
5g of mint
5g basil
25g of preserved lemon
3 anchovy fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
A squeeze of honey
3/4 red chilli ( add as much or as little as you like)
Recipe
For both marinades put ingredients listed above into a food processor or blender and blitz until a rough paste is achieved.
Note: to make roasted garlic place a whole bulb in tinfoil and wrap tightly and place in the oven for 3 hours at approx. 130 degrees C.
Take the lamb (your butcher will be more than happy to prepare and butterfly this for you) place it into a large sealable plastic bag and pour marinade 1 into the bag.
Leave this to marinade for up to 24 hours
Turn your BBQ up onto full blast for 15 minutes before beginning to cook remembering to keep it closed to retain heat At this stage.
If you fancy a few baked potatoes with your dinner wrap each potato in tinfoil with a little salt and place at the back of the BBQ, Me I’m a salad man, really because I get more meat this way J.
Take the lamb and place onto the BBQ ensuring it is completely flat and rolled out and immediately close the lid for 5 mins.
Still on high turn the lamb and baste the meat with some left over marinade in the bag.
Close and cook on high for 5 more mins.
Reduce the heat to medium and turn the lamb basting again and close for another 12 mins And repeat .
Remember to keep the BBQ closed as it creates the oven effect.
On a warm large plate, one big enough for the lamb to sit on pour marinade 2 on and after the lamb is cooked remove From BBQ, place on the plate and toss in marinade 2.
Cover with lots of foil and then drape a big towel over it , this keeps all of the residual heat in.
Rest the meat for 15 to 20 mins, Resting allows the juices to flow back into the meat resulting in a much more succulent eating experience.
Once rested carve it up and serve with a green salad( this cuts the fattiness of the meat) and the baked potatoes from the barbie.
It’s usually a good idea to have some crusty bread nearby because the marinade is so tasty.
Enjoy,
Ian
Ian Mullin - Food Consultant WineOnline.ie
