TV Chef Darren Robertson’s Succulent Butterflied Lamb Leg Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 1.5kg leg of lamb (butterflied)
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1 1/2 large red chilies
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bunch coriander stalks
• 1 pinch pepper corns
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt

Smoked eggplant yogurt

• 100g plain yogurt
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 pinch sumac

Watermelon radish salad

• 200g piece of watermelon, peeled
• 1 lime
• 1 handful of picked coriander leaves
• 1 handful of picked mint leaves
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large red chilli, sliced
• 8 baby red radishes, washed
• 1 vine of tomatoes
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1 pinch grated garlic
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

Step 1For the smoked eggplant yoghurt, preheat the barbecue to 200°C and cook the eggplant for 5 -10 minutes on the chargrill or naked flame until charred. Leave to cool then peel away half the skin and discard. Blitz the eggplant with the yogurt and season with sumac.

Step 2For the butterflied lamb leg, roast the spices then blend to a powder. Grind the chili, garlic, coriander stalks and mix in the olive oil, vinegar and spices. Marinade the lamb in half of the paste, ideally over night in the fridge, or for at least a couple of hours.

Step 3When the barbecue is preheated to 200°C, season the lamb with salt and place in the centre of the barbecue, skin side up. Barbecue with the hood down for 20 minutes, turning and basting with the remaining harrisa paste regularly. Once cooked, leave to rest for 20 minutes then carve.

Step 4For the watermelon radish salad, wash the radishes and cut them into quarters. Peel and dice the cucumber. Remove the eye from the tomatoes and roughly dice.

Step 5Very thinly slice the chilli, dice the watermelon and mix all the ingredients into a good size bowl, seasoning with a little salt, pepper, lime juice, garlic and olive oil. Add the herbs and red onion. Toss and serve.

Tips

If you are barbecuing with the hood up, cook the lamb leg for 40 minutes and remember to turn and baste the remainder of the harrisa paste regularly so that the leg does not dry out.

The time taken to rest will depend on its size of the meat; a butterflied lamb leg is best rested for 10 to 20 minutes before carving. A rule of thumb used by some chefs is 1 minute resting time for every 100g of meat.