For your Easter table: lamb roast
Ever wondered what the link to roast lamb and Easter is? Or nah - you’d rather just go ahead and eat? There’s no harm in eating and reading, right?
History.com notes that the the tradition of eating lamb on Easter has its roots in early Passover observances before the birth of Christianity.
According to the biblical Exodus story, the people of Egypt suffered a series of terrible plagues, including the death of all firstborn sons. Jews painted their doorposts with sacrificed lamb’s blood so that God would “pass over” their homes while carrying out the punishment.
Accustomed to eating roast lamb on Passover, Jews who converted to Christianity continued the tradition at Easter. Additionally, Christians refer to Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” so it makes sense that the food shows up at the Easter table.
Now that the history lesson’s over, how about we let celebrity chef Jamie Oliver guide us through making delicious Easter lamb?
Ingredients
- 1 quality leg of lamb , about 2kg
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh mint , leaves picked
- 1 clove garlic , peeled
- 125 ml olive oil
- 250 ml organic chicken stock
- 600 g new potatoes , sliced thickly
- 100 g baby fennel , trimmed and cut in half lengthways
- 225 g baby carrots , tops trimmed
- 100 g baby leeks , trimmed
- 200 g courgettes , sliced lengthways
- 250 g fine or yellow beans , trimmed
- 150 g asparagus , trimmed to 6cm lengths
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
Score the lamb all over and season. Using a pestle and mortar, or in a food processor, pound or blend the mint leaves with the garlic and seasoning until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil to your mixture then brush all over the lamb. Roast in the oven for 1½ hours, brushing with the seasoned oil regularly until the lamb is cooked.
While the meat is resting, remove the fat from the roasting tin. Add the stock to the tin and make a light, tasty broth by boiling and dissolving all the goodness at the bottom.
Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. Add the fennel and carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Carve your lamb then serve the vegetables in a shallow bowl with the lamb on top and a little broth and mint oil drizzled over.
If you would prefer to watch how to make this, another superstar chef Gordon Ramsay can help you through this. Happy Easter, Bon Appetit!