Horopito Roast Lamb with Orange and Mint Sauce
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
- 2kg leg of lamb
- 1 bulb garlic, plus 4 cloves
- 1 tsp dried horopito, or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- vegetables, to roast with the lamb
- For the orange and mint sauce
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- water to thin, if necessary
INSTRUCTIONS
Method
Remove the lamb from the fridge one hour before cooking, to allow it to come up to room temperature.
Heat the oven to 180˚C.
Slice the whole bulb of garlic in half, crossways, and peel the other 4 cloves. Roughly chop half of the rosemary leaves, if using.
Crush the peeled garlic, and place in a bowl with the dried horopito or chopped rosemary, orange zest and olive oil, then mix together.
Season the lamb with sea salt and pepper, then rub the marinade all over the meat.
Place lamb in a large roasting pan along with the halved garlic bulbs, and any prepared vegetables that you’d like to roast at the same time. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs, and drizzle over a good glug of olive oil.
Cook the lamb for 1 hour 20 minutes if you like it rarer and pink, or 2 hours if you prefer it more well done.
General cooking times for roasting a leg of lamb are (per 500g):
- Rare 20–25 minutes
- Medium 25–30 minutes
- Well done 30–35 minutes
When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and leave to rest for around 15 minutes before carving.
While the lamb is cooking you can make the orange and mint sauce. Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.
Serve the lamb with roast vegetables, orange and mint sauce, and some seasonal greens.
TIPS
Recipe by Christall Lowe from her cookbook Kai - available to purchase here
