from The Big Family Cooking Showdown forward & original recipes by Rosemary Shrager (BBC Books)
Photography Andrew Burton
Serves 4
½ butterflied leg of lamb (about 800g–1kg), cut into 4 chunks
6 anchovy fillets in oil, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed, plus 2 whole heads
3 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 fresh lemon thyme sprigs salt and pepper
Method
1 Prepare the lamb Put the lamb in a dish and add the anchovies, bashed garlic cloves, rosemary and olive oil. Season with black pepper and mix to coat well. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
2 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C.
3 Cook the lamb. Season the lamb with plenty of salt.
Heat a large pan over a high heat and sear the lamb all over until a deep golden colour on all sides. Transfer to a roasting tin and then cook in oven for about 20–25 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
4 Make the roasted garlic. Slice the tops off the heads of garlic and rub with rapeseed oil. Place on a piece of tin foil along with the lemon thyme, wrap up the foil like a parcel and roast in the oven for 30 minutes alongside the lamb.
5 Serve slices of lamb with the roasted garlic.
Tip serve with Boulangère Potatoes and Braised Leeks (see recipes below).
Braised Leeks
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
8 leeks (only the tender white part)
150ml white wine
150ml vegetable stock
30g butter
A handful of freshly chopped parsley, to garnish
Salt & pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C.
2 Cut the leeks into 5cm pieces and place in a medium-sized roasting dish. Pour over the wine and stock, and dot with the butter. Season with salt and pepper and cover with tin foil.
3 Cook slowly in the oven for about 30 minutes, until soft and tender but still holding their shape.
4 Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Rosemary’s Boulangère Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp freshly chopped thyme
1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
60g butter
400ml chicken or vegetable stock
1kg Maris Piper or Desiree potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
30g freshly grated Parmesan
30g fresh white breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C.
2 Cook the onion: Place the oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 10 minutes, or until soft. When softened, leave to caramelise to a light golden colour, about another 10 minutes, then stir through the herbs and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper.
3 Assemble the dish: Generously butter a deep, round, 2 litre, ovenproof dish, then add a tablespoon of chicken or vegetable stock to the base.
4 Start layering the potato and the onion mixture into the dish, pouring over the stock as you go.
5 Press the potatoes down so the liquid overflows, dot with the remaining butter then cook in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until almost all the stock is absorbed.
6 Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Return to the oven and cook for a further 20-30 minutes until golden and your knife slides through the potatoes.
