Roast leg of lamb with rosemary, lemon and capers

This recipe from Bird Bia for mint sauce is easy to make and adds an extra layer of flavour to the final dish. The entire dish serves 6 people and takes 2 hours to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb, approx. 2kg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablesp. rapeseed or olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon and juice of half a lemon

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tablesp. rosemary leaves, chopped

2 tablesp. capers

2 teasp. plain flour

300ml beef or chicken stock

1 tablesp. red currant jelly

Mint sauce

50g fresh mint

2 scallions, finely chopped

4 tablesp. olive oil

1 tablesp. red wine vinegar

2 teasp. Dijon mustard

A pinch of caster sugar

Juice of half a lemon

Serve with roasted vegetables and potatoes

Method:

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C,( 350°F).

Place the lamb in a roasting tin and lightly score the fat in a criss-cross pattern and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the oil, zest and lemon juice, garlic, rosemary and capers in a small food processor and whizz until smooth. You can also do this by hand. Spread the mixture over the lamb. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 1½ hours approximately - allow 40 minutes per kg. After an hour, baste the lamb with the juices. When cooked, take it out of the oven, transfer to a carving board, cover loosely and allow to rest. Keep the juices in the pan to make the gravy.

Meanwhile, make the mint sauce: Put all the ingredients into a food processor, add some salt and black pepper and whizz until smooth. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

To make the gravy:

Stir the flour into the juices in the roasting tin and then gradually stir in the stock and red currant jelly. Place directly on the hob and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any sediment. Season, strain and serve.

To serve: Slice the lamb and serve with the mint sauce, vegetables, potatoes and gravy.