I love a good roast lamb. The succulent meat, falling off the bone, gorgeous aromas of garlic and rosemary filling the kitchen…it really is one of the best comfort foods around!
Growing up in a Greek-Australian household, half the time we had a delicious gravy to accompany the lamb and the other half there was a decent bowl of tzatziki right in the middle of the table! Either way we were always happy campers when a lamb roast was on the menu!
I’ve chosen to feature tzatziki here as I really wanted to share my recipe for it. Of course it’s perfect with roast lamb however it is brilliant with any bbq’d or grilled meats and even simply dolloped on some roasted veggies or as part of a crudité board.
A firm family favourite, I’d love for you to try the recipe and let me know how you go. Feel free to comment below or tag me or #mckrecipes in your socials if you do try it!!
H xx
Serves: 6 - 8
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3 ½ - 4 hours
Ingredients:
For the lamb:
2kg leg of lamb
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
6 cloves garlic, each clove quartered into slivers
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves only
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the tzatziki:
1 cup full-fat Greek yoghurt
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped
½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
Pinch of white pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 140C. Line the base of a baking dish with non-stick paper.
2. Place the lamb upside down on the paper, season generously and sprinkle half the Greek oregano.
3. Turn the lamb the correct way up. Using a paring knife, make small slits in the lamb and stuff the slits with the slivers of garlic. Season the top and add the rest of the oregano, rosemary, mustard and olive oil. Rub the mixture all over the lamb leg.
4. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the dish and pop a piece of non-stick baking paper on top of the lamb. Now cover the whole dish tightly with foil.
5. Place in the oven and allow to roast for 3 ½ - 4 hours or until it is meltingly tender. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
6. In the meantime, squeeze the excess water from the cucumber and place in a bowl along with the other tzatziki ingredients. Stir to combine and garnish with an extra sprig of dill if you like.
7. To serve, pull the meat from the bone with two forks and serve alongside the tzatziki and roast potatoes (if desired).
