Leg of Lamb Roast with Spiced Marinade

This leg of lamb recipe is packed with a variety of herbs and spices that will have your taste buds singing and your insides glowing. Combining lamb with aromatic sprigs of fresh rosemary adds flavor and fragrance to the meat, whilst also offering numerous health benefits to your digestive system. Since it’s rich in antioxidants and contains anti-inflammatory properties, rosemary eases indigestion and naturally relieves tummy pains that often accompany festive fare.

What I love about the spice marinade is that it doesn’t just season the lamb and enrich the taste, but it also combines nutrient dense ingredients like garlic, ginger, turmeric and cumin that boost the immune system and help your overall well being. These herbs and spices smooth the ingestion of food by lowering inflammation in the intestinal tract and stimulating the activity of digestive processes. This makes it easier for our bodies to digest and absorb the iron, protein and other vital nutrients in the lamb. It’s like a match made in Santa’s workshop…after just one bite, everyone will be oohh-ing, ahh-ing and tra-la-la-la-la-ing!

INGREDIENTS:

Lamb

• 2kg leg of lamb with bone
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped
• 1 fresh chili, seeded and chopped
• 150g of truss vined berry tomatoes
• Sea Salt and black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Spiced Marinade

• 2 tablespoons sheep’s milk yoghurt
• 3cm piece of ginger, grated finely
• 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons of  cumin, ground
• 2 tablespoons of  paprika, ground
• 1 tablespoons of tumeric, ground
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds, ground
• 2 lemons, squeezed to juice

METHOD:

1. Start with the marinade, mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. With a sharp knife, make some deep cuts evenly across both sides of the lamb leg.
3. Rub a generous amount of salt and pepper into the meat. Then spoon the marinade over it, and massage in making sure it gets deep into the incisions.
4. Scatter half of the chopped rosemary and chili over the meat, pushing them into the cuts. Place the lamb in a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Leave overnight to marinate and let the meat soak up all the flavours and spices!
5. Remove the lamb from the fridge and leave in room temperature for at least 30 mins before cooking.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the lamb, left over rosemary, tomatoes and garlic cloves into a tray lined with foil and roast for 20mins.
7. Turn the heat down to 150C and cook for a further 1hr and 40mins for lamb that is pink in the middle.
8. Halfway through roasting or once the lamb is crisp and golden on the outside, shake the tray, cover with foil then rotate and return to oven the opposite way.
9. Remove from the oven, leave foil on loosely and let it rest on a lamb rack for at least 15mins.
10. Slice and Serve!

This recipe has been kindly shared by Lee Holmes from:
www.superchargedfood.com/blog/gluten-free-themes/supercharged-christmas-recipes/