Spring Lamb with Herb Crust

This succulent butterflied leg of lamb is slow and evenly roasted at a low temperature to ensure a tender and juicy result.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5kg butterflied leg of lamb
• Salt & pepper
• A good handful of fresh whole herbs (eg soft-stemmed thyme, sage leaves or mint leaves)
• A generous knob of butter for browning the meat

For the herb crust

• 150ml chopped herbs, mostly parsley with some rosemary, thyme or mint
• 150ml breadcrumbs
• 4 fat cloves of garlic, very finely chopped or crushed
• 100g butter, melted
• salt & pepper

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 120C (110C fan).
2. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Lay the handful of herbs inside and roll up the meat, securing it with several pieces of string.
3. Heat some butter in a heavy-based pot or frying pan and brown the meat all over.
4. Place meat in a roasting tin and bake at 120C for about an hour or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 50C.
5. Take the meat out and increase the oven temperature to 240C.
6. Make the herb crust by combining all the ingredients, and then spread it over the top of the lamb.
7. Roast the lamb at 240C for 5-10 minutes or until the crust has browned nicely.
8. Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest for 10-20 minutes before removing the string and slicing.