Greek Style Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Chimichurri
Serves 6 to 8
For the butterflied lamb
- 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Siucra rich brown sugar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lemons, juice only
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5kg leg of lamb, deboned and butterflied
For the Chimichurri
- 30g parsley sprigs, keep the stalks on
- 20g coriander sprigs, keep the stalks on
- 4 medium sprigs oregano
- 4 small sprigs mint
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1½ tbsp Siucra caster sugar
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Roasted garlic bulb halves, to garnish
- Sprigs of mint, to garnish
- Roasted red peppers and courgettes, to serve
To prepare the marinade for the lamb, mix the oregano, garlic, Siucra rich brown sugar, olive oil, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl.
Place the butterflied lamb into a shallow dish and pour over the marinade, rub this into the lamb, cover and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Remove from the fridge and bring the lamb to room temperature (allow 30 minutes). Pat the lamb dry and brown both sides in a hot frying pan over the hob.
To roast, meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C. Place the lamb into the roasting pan, season with freshly ground pepper and a little salt, roast for about 15 minutes before turning the heat down to 190°C/fan 170°C and roast for a further 50 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 72°C for medium (or until it reaches your preference of “doneness”). If you like it well done, roast for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Keep basting the lamb from time to time.
While the lamb is roasting, prepare the chimichurri: place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse a few time and then using a spatula, push the ingredients down the side of the blender. Do short pulses about 7 to 8 times until you have a textured sauce. Taste, you may need to add a little more oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper or sugar. Allow the lamb to “rest”, covered, for 15 minutes, then place on a platter of roasted red peppers and courgettes. Spoon over the chimicchurri and serve.
