Butterflied leg of lamb with minty salsa verde

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

Ingredients
1 boned leg of lamb, (ask your butcher to bone it out and trim it for you)
2 lemons, juice only
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
8 peppercorns, lightly crushed
For the minty salsa verde

1 large handfuls spearmint leaves
4-5 sprigs peppermint, leaves only
1 bunches parsley
1 large handfuls basil
6 tinned anchovies
2 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 slices bread, crusts removed, torn up (about 60g after crusts have been cut off)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
150-250 ml olive oil
For the parsley, tomato and shallot salad

1 large bunches flat leaf parsley, leaves and finest stems only
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Put the lamb in a large, hole-free plastic bag and sit it in a baking dish or bowl.

2. Combine lemon juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, bay leaves, mint and peppercorns and pour the mixture over the lamb.

3. Turn the lamb over a few times so that the marinade coats it well, then knot the bag loosely and marinade for up to 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 48 hours in the fridge. Turn the lamb occasionally.

4. Bring the lamb back to room temperature before cooking, allowing 1-2 hours out of the fridge for it to lose its chill, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

5. Preheat a griddle, grill or barbecue until extremely hot. Remove the lamb from the marinade, brushing off any solids. Reserve the marinade for basting the meat.

6. Grill the lamb, cut side down at first, for 5-7 minutes on each side to brown the crust. Then, either move the grill rack a little further away from the charcoal or, if you’re using a griddle or grill, turn it down a little and leave the lamb to cook for a further 12-19 minutes on each side, depending on how well you like it done. Baste frequently with the reserved marinade. Test frequently and, as soon as the scarlet translucence of raw meat has disappeared from the centre, lift the lamb onto a warm serving dish and leave to relax for 15 minutes or so in a warm place before carving.

7. For the minty salsa verde: put all the herbs into a food processor with the anchovies, capers, garlic, bread, sugar, vinegar and some freshly ground black pepper and process in short bursts, scraping down the sides, until finely chopped.

8. With the motor running, trickle in enough of the olive oil to give a thickish, creamy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning: the anchovies and capers should make it salty enough, so only add extra salt if it really needs it.

9. Spoon the sauce into a bowl, cover with cling film and keep cool until needed.

10. For the parsley, tomato and shallot salad: toss all the ingredients together just before serving and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

11. To serve, carve the lamb and serve with minty salsa verde and the parsley, tomato and shallot salad.

Tags: anchovies, basil, bay leaf, Capers, cherry tomatoes, garlic, lamb, lemon, mint, onion, parsley, peppercorns, shallot
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