Spiced Lamb, Roast Veg and Couscous

Spiced Lamb, Roast Veg and Couscous

Fuss-free as it’s a one-pot dish that takes hardly any prep

This a showstopper – everyone I make it for says that it is melt-in-the-mouth delicious. The spices are not too strong for kids but add incredible flavour and a twist to normal lamb. It’s also fuss-free as it’s a one-pot dish that takes hardly any prep. To turn this into a Sunday roast, don’t add the couscous at the end, swap the potatoes for celeriac and serve with roasted potatoes. You can even prepare it the night before to pop in the oven when you’re ready.

Serves 4-5

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 1 hour

1.2kg half leg of lamb, bone in

6 garlic cloves

100g butter, at room temperature

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground cinnamon

420g potatoes, cut into 2cm-3cm chunks

6 small carrots

100g mushrooms, diced

100g green beans

80g couscous

black pepper

handful of parsley (optional)

  •  Preheat the oven to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 7. With a small sharp knife, cut about 12 slices into the flesh of the lamb − around one every 1cm on the top then the rest in the side. Put the lamb into a large ovenproof dish. Slice four of the garlic cloves in half and slot them into some of the holes you created in the lamb.
  •  Put the butter in a bowl and add the cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon. Grate the remaining two cloves of garlic in and mix together with a spoon until combined.
  •  Push the mixture into any of the holes in the lamb not filled with garlic, then spread the butter all over the top and as much as you can on the sides. Put the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms around the lamb then place in the oven.
  •  For medium lamb, which I think is perfect, cook for 13 minutes for every 450g of meat, plus add 20 minutes on the end. For a 1.2kg leg of lamb a perfect cooking time is about 1 hour. (If you prefer the lamb well done, cook for 20 minutes for every 450g, plus 20 minutes at the end.) Always leave to rest for 10 minutes when cooking is finished.
  •  After the lamb has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, spoon the juices over the vegetables and the lamb then put back into the oven.
  •  After 45 minutes, put the green beans into the dish and coat with the juices. Spoon them over the meat at the same time.
  •  After your preferred cooking time, take the meat out of the dish to rest for 10 minutes. Make sure there is 1cm of liquid in the bottom of the dish, adding stock or water if needed, then mix the couscous through the veg and cover with some foil. Once the lamb is rested, serve sliced with the vegetables, black pepper and fresh parsley.

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