THREE WAYS WITH LAMB - A CHRISTMAS TRIPLE SPECIAL

- METHOD -

#1 Texan Steakhouse Whole Roast Leg of Lamb

Use a sharp narrow boning knife to cut small pockets in a luscious leg of (preferably free range) lamb and stud it with slivers of garlic and fresh rosemary. Drizzle over olive oil, sprinkle it generously with Cape Herb & Spice Texan Steakhouse Rub and roast it in a 200˚ C oven, or on a kettle braai using the indirect cooking method. Take it to the next level with a lovely baste for the final 15 minutes of roasting. Simply mix the Texan Steakhouse Rub with a dash of oil, a squirt of tomato paste, a drizzle of lemon and a squeeze of honey and spoon it over the meat. Do taste your marinade to see if it needs extra acid in the form of lemon, extra saltiness from the rub or a touch of extra sweetness. If it tastes great as is, it will be even better on a leg of lamb!

#2 Mediterranean Stuffed Roast Leg of Lamb

Ask your butcher to debone a lamb leg for you. Stuff it with typically Mediterranean ingredients like chopped olives or olive tapenade, toasted pine nuts, loads of parsley, sundried tomatoes and feta. Roll it up, secure it with string, and drizzle over olive oil followed by a generous sprinkling of the Cape Herb & Spice Mediterranean Roasts Rub before it goes in the oven or onto your kettle braai. The only way to tell what is really going on inside any large cut of meat you’re roasting, is by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. For perfectly medium lamb, the internal temperature should be 60-65 degrees Celsius.

#3 SA-Style Curried Lamb Sosaties

Ask your butcher to cut a leg of lamb into large cubes. Fry a finely sliced large white onion in some vegetable oil until soft, then add Cape Herb & Spice’s Vindaloo Exotic Spice, a hint of white wine vinegar, a dash of water and a tablespoon or two of fine apricot jam. Let it cool and add crushed bay leaves, then pour the sauce over the lamb cubes. Allow it to marinate for at least an hour, then thread onto skewers with small pickling onions and fresh apricots or soaked dried apricots. These sosaties could be done under your oven’s grill, but they really are best if braaied (thats the SA equivalent of barbeque!). Southern hemisphere Christmas perfection!

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley.

Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za