Sophistication oozes out of this dish almost as easily as it will be falling off the bone when you tuck into it. The tastes and textures in the Lamb are beautifully complemented by the colours, flavours and smells of the accompanying Vegetables.
To Serve 4
1kg Onions, halved and thinly sliced
2tbsp Soft Brown Sugar
150ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
150ml Dry White Wine
4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
1.2kg Carvery Leg of Lamb Joint
50g Can Anchovies
Small Bunch Flat Leaf Parsley
1/2tsp Ground Sumac (from Middle Eastern Stores and Supermarkets)
4 Sprigs Lemon Thyme
125g Romano Red Pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
12 Black Olives
Salt and Black Pepper
1. Heat the Oven to 180C, and place the Sliced Onions into a large Roasting Tray, along with the Sugar, ninety millilitres of the Olive Oil, the White Wine and half of the Crushed Garlic. Mix well, and cook for around ten minutes
2. Take the String off of the Lamb, and place it on a chopping board, allowing it to rest and open out a little. Drain the Oil off from the Anchovies, and mix in with the remaining Olive Oil.
3. Finely chop half of the Anchovies, and mix with the Garlic. Finely Chop the Parsley, and mix with the Garlic and Anchovies. Season the Lamb, and then stuff with the Anchovy mixture. Re-tie the Lamb with Kitchen string.
4. Stir the Onions, and create a space for the Lamb. Rub the Lamb Joint with the remaining Olive Oil and Sumac, then season well. Roast for twenty minutes uncovered, before stirring the Onions again. Add the Thyme, and sliced Pepper. Push the Vegetables to one side, and cover them with the Tin Foil, then roast for forty minutes.
5. Remove the Foil, stir the Vegetables well, and roast uncovered for a further twenty minutes. Slice the remaining Anchovy fillets lengthways, then add them and the Olives, and put back in the Oven for ten more minutes.
Serve fresh from the Oven, along with Seasonal Vegetables.
Photo Courtesy of: laura padgett