RECIPE: Horopito roast lamb with orange, mint and kawakawa jelly
To me, a roast lamb is the epitome of a family roast dinner. Sunday dinners at my parents’ and grandparents’ meant the aroma of a roast lamb or hogget, which always came with rich gravy made from the pan drippings. There was nothing quite like the succulent, tasty roast vegetables that were cooked in with the lamb, either. Heaven forbid if there was ever a pale roast potato!
Here I’ve created a very simple orange, mint and kawakawa jelly to accompany the lamb, and the flavour is out of this world. It’s the perfect accompaniment, and so incredibly easy to make using homemade or store-bought marmalade.
SERVES 8
2kg leg of lamb
1 bulb garlic, plus 4 cloves
1 tsp dried horopito, or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
vegetables, to roast with the lamb
FOR THE ORANGE, MINT & KAWAKAWA JELLY
1⁄2 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp chopped fresh kawakawa leaves (optional)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1⁄2 tsp cracked black pepper
water to thin, if necessary
Remove the lamb from the fridge one hour before cooking, to allow it to come up to room temperature.
Heat the oven to 180oC.
Slice the whole bulb of garlic in half, crossways, and peel the other 4 cloves. Roughly chop half of the rosemary leaves, if using.
Crush the peeled garlic, and place in a bowl with the dried horopito or chopped rosemary, orange zest and olive oil, then mix together.
Season the lamb with sea salt and pepper, then rub the marinade all over the meat.
Place lamb in a large roasting pan along with the halved garlic bulbs, and any prepared vegetables that you’d like to roast at the same time (optional — see page 188).
Add the remaining rosemary sprigs, and drizzle over a good glug of olive oil.
Cook the lamb for 1 hour 20 minutes if you like it rarer and pink, or 2 hours if you prefer it more well done.
General cooking times for roasting a leg of lamb are (per 500g):
Rare 20–25 minutes
Medium 25–30 minutes
Well done 30–35 minutes
When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and leave to rest for around 15 minutes before carving.
While the lamb is cooking you can make the orange, mint and kawakawa jelly. Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.
Serve the lamb with roast vegetables, orange, mint and kawakawa jelly, gravy and some seasonal greens.
ROAST VEGETABLES
Peel and cut the vegetables (e.g. potatoes, kūmara, carrots, yams, pumpkin) into chunks of a similar size, not too small.
Scatter the vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan around the lamb.
Turn the vegetables often during cooking, so that they are cooked evenly and absorb all the goodness of the drippings from the meat.
If you are cooking the lamb so that it’s well done, you may need to remove the vegetables earlier so that they don’t overcook. Just keep an eye on them after the 1 hour and 20 minute mark.
If cooking the lamb so that it’s rare, or medium rare, while the lamb is resting, you can increase the heat of the oven to 200oC and cook the vegetables further to give them a little extra colour, if needed.
ROAST MEAT GRAVY
The brownings that form in the bottom of the roasting dish when you roast any meat are absolutely laden with flavour. They make a great base for a pan gravy, which is so flavoursome you’ll never reach for a gravy packet again. I like to use the water from any vegetables I’m cooking to go with the roast, such as sweetcorn or beans, to make this gravy.
roast-meat brownings, including any herbs or garlic that may have been cooking in with the roast
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cups water, stock or water from cooking vegetables salt and pepper
Keep the delicious roast-meat drippings and about 1 tablespoon of the fat, spooning off any excess fat.
Place the roasting dish on the stovetop over a medium heat, add flour and stir until combined. It should become like a paste.
Add quarter of a cup of water or stock and stir to combine, scraping the tasty meat residue and ensuring the mixture doesn’t burn.
Slowly add the rest of the water or stock and stir until well combined. If you add the liquid too quickly it may not combine with the flour mixture properly and become lumpy.
Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring often.
If the gravy has large chunks or things like herbs or garlic skin, put it through a sieve into a jug or bowl, using the back of the spoon to push through all the juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste.