There is so much to love about Easter. The first bank holiday of the year; the extended daylight; the whiff of spring flowers and, of course, the opportunity to put on a great spread!
Of course the youngest members of your household will be on a constant sugar rush and we mustnât forget about delicious, warm, Hot Cross buns with lashings of butter (Hambleton Bakery are our Hot Cross bun provider of choice!). But what about the dinner table?
In the modern era, sit-down family dinners arenât as regular as they once were. Busy lives lead to looking for easy dinners and even the weekends might be too rushed for that traditional roast. But not at Easter. Itâs a long weekend to spend with friends and family and if you are elected as chef, then providing them with an Easter menu to remember is what it is all about.
LOOKING AT LAMB
For many, Easter wouldnât be Easter without a beautifully cooked joint of Lamb. Itâs no secret that Lamb isnât the cheap option it once was and so an Easter feast is a fine excuse to treat the family to this most flavoursome of meats.
Leg of Lamb is a real showstopper and best served with roast vegetables, including roasties (made with our Beef dripping?!). But you want to make the most of your purchase and we are here to help! Here is our guide to cooking a lovely leg of lamb!
PREPERATION
Always cook joints at room temperature. This will mean the meat will be nice a relaxed when cooking and will ensure itâs as tender is it possibly can. Once ready to prepare the leg, heat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 8.
Whilst the oven is getting to temperate, itâs time to prepare the herbs and seasoning that will bring out the flavour of the Lamb.
Chop a couple of sprigs of rosemary and add to a pestle and mortar with a generous amount of rock salt and three cloves of garlic. Release the flavour by grinding the ingredients together until crushed, then add enough olive oil to cover the mix and get back in there with the pestle for more crushing.
Next place the leg of lamb into a deep roasting tray, onto of a layer of onion slices with more sprigs of rosemary and rub the lamb all over with the olive oil and herb mix.
THE COOKING
Place in the centre of the oven and roast for twenty minutes before lowering the temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Lamb can of course be served pink but for medium, cook for twenty minutes per 500g (approx. 1 hours 10 minutes for a 2kg leg). If you prefer it to be pink, cook for fifteen minutes per 500g.
AND REST!
When cooking your vegetables and other sides, itâs always important to put resting time of the meat in your calculations! Once out of the oven, cover the lamb in foil and allow to rest for twenty minutes. The meat will still be cooking slightly and will become more tender as the meat rests.
Serve with your vegetables, choose a good bottle of wine and enjoy! Beats chocolate any day!
Happy Easter everyone!
