'The warm spices and sweet, tangy marinade work brilliantly with lamb and are all rich, comforting flavours that are really familiar to me,' says cook Meliz. 'This roast will make a magical showstopper for the festivities.'
Raised in a Turkish Cypriot household in London, Meliz is a self-taught cook and recipe developer who is passionate about her foodie heritage. Her simple, flavour-packed recipes celebrate the rich diversity of Cypriot cuisine.Known as @melizcooks on Instagram, she also has a sizeable foodie following
See more of Meliz Berg’s recipes
Meliz Berg
Raised in a Turkish Cypriot household in London, Meliz is a self-taught cook and recipe developer who is passionate about her foodie heritage. Her simple, flavour-packed recipes celebrate the rich diversity of Cypriot cuisine.Known as @melizcooks on Instagram, she also has a sizeable foodie following
See more of Meliz Berg’s recipes
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Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions
1 cinnamon stick
1 large leg of lamb, bone-in (about 2.2-2.6kg)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tsp sea salt flake
1 x 30g pack mint
5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp clear honey
zest of 2 clementines, plus 60ml freshly squeezed juice
500ml chicken stock (made using 1 stock cube) - use gluten-free stock, if required
50g coriander (leaves and stalks)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
80g pomegranate seeds
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Make the spice paste and rub it into the lamb several hours ahead, cover and chill. Remove from the fridge 30-45 minutes before roasting.
Brush a large, deep roasting tin with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then thickly slice the onions into rounds and lay the slices flat in the middle of the tin, adding the cinnamon stick – the onions will serve as a trivet for the lamb.
Grind the coriander seeds fairly finely in a pestle and mortar and add them to a small bowl along with the cumin, paprika, dried oregano, garlic and 1¼ teaspoons of flaky sea salt.
Finely chop the leaves from a couple of the mint sprigs and add them to the bowl along with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate molasses, 1 tablespoon of honey, the zest from one of the clementines and 30ml of the clementine juice. Mix everything together to create a loose paste.
Lightly score three long, diagonal incisions across the top of the lamb and sit it in the tin on top of the onion slices. Using clean hands (or wearing gloves), gently rub the spice paste all over the lamb so that it embeds itself within the shallow cuts you made across the skin. Season the lamb with some cracked black pepper, then allow it to sit and come up to room temperature for half an hour, and for the spice paste to infuse the lamb. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3½.
Pour the stock into the tray around the lamb and cover the tray with one or two very large pieces of foil, creating enough space over the lamb so that the foil doesn’t stick to the meat and steam can generate within the tent. Pinch the foil securely and tightly all around the edges of the tray and place in the oven, on the bottom shelf.
Slow-roast the lamb for 5 hours, basting every 2 hours, and always ensuring to re-cover the tray tightly with the foil each time you do. Turn the heat up to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 for the last hour, then 20 minutes before the end, baste again and remove the foil for the remaining cooking time.
Once the lamb is ready, the meat should be almost falling off the bone. Take the tray out of the oven and spoon over the basting juices one final time, but do not put the tray back in the oven. Cover the tray with foil for 10 minutes to let the lamb rest and soak up the juices while you make the mint and coriander sauce.
Very finely chop the remaining mint leaves and all of the coriander then add the herbs to a small bowl with the remaining clementine zest, 3 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses and 1 tablespoon of honey, the remaining 30ml of clementine juice and ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes, as well as the balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve the lamb on a platter, adding the onions from the roasting tin if you wish. Spoon the mint and coriander sauce over and scatter with the pomegranate seeds.
For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!
Cuts of lamb that are popular for slow cooking include the shoulder, leg, forequarter, shanks, neck chops, lamb ribs, and some sausages. These cuts are usually tougher because they have lots of connective tissue and fats, but this makes them perfect for slow and low methods of cooking.
Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.
The leg and rack of lamb are perfect for herb-crusting and oven-roasting; since the shank and shoulder are a bit tougher, they fare well in stews or braises—the long cook time allows them to significantly break down and become fork-tender.
For a medium cooked lamb, which is perfectly pink on the inside, budget about 25 minutes per pound or until the internal temp registers somewhere around 130°F (about 1 ½ to 2 hours in a 325 degrees F-heated oven).
Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.
To ensure a leg of lamb cooks evenly, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for an hour before cooking. Rare, Well-Done, Or Something In Between? How well-done you like your lamb comes down to personal preference.
And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.
Season your lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, or even just a little salt and pepper. Sear the lamb shoulder in a hot pan to seal in the flavours if you wish, this is not compulsory however, slow cooking it as is works just as well.
Brown the lamb first, in batches if necessary. This will maintain a high heat in the pan and caramelise the juices, which will improve the colour and flavour of the meat.
Lower temp = more succulent meat – Tough cuts like lamb shoulder need slow-cooking to tenderise them. The lower the roasting temperature, the less total moisture evaporation and thus juicier meat. 3-hour lamb is cooked at 180°C/350°F, while the 12 hour lamb is cooked at only 100°C/212°F.
It can be traditionally roasted but is best slow-roasted, pot-roasted or braised with liquid until practically falling apart. Shoulder can also be diced for stewing, or cut into shoulder chops. A pre-sliced roast is convenient, but it tends to dry out in the oven.
It's not really necessary to sear your roast before cooking, but caramelizing the surface gives the cut an incredible depth of flavor, enhanced with the complex layers of nutty caramel and coffee-like bitterness that meat-lovers find delicious.
Carefully add the lamb chops to the hot oil and sear on one side until well browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the chops and sear the other side until well browned, this side will take about 1 minute to fully brown. 5Transfer the entire pan, with the lamb chops inside, into the preheated oven.
Browning the meat doesn't take long and has some advantages, including a good looking, caramelised surface and richer coloured dish. It can also give a deeper flavour, and some say a better texture.
Admittedly, searing isn't strictly necessary for the cooking process. Technically speaking. The meat will cook just fine without searing. (And any surface bacteria will die during cooking anyway.)
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep time: 45 mins
