Ingredients

1½ kg Spring Hill Beef leg of lamb
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp thyme leaves
grated rind and juice of two lemons
2 bunch baby carrots peeled and washed
2 bunch whole baby spring onions, trimmed
12 baby chat potatoes, halved
2 bunch asparagus or 300g green beans, trimmed
Fresh thyme leaves and lemon rind to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Mix olive oil, thyme, rind and lemon juice. Season and spoon half the mixture over the lamb and toss the other half through the vegetables.

2. Place lamb into a roasting dish and bake for 15 minutes before adding the tossed vegetables and cooking for a further hour. Add the asparagus or beans and cook for a further 5 minutes

3. Remove lamb, cover loosely, and rest for 15 minutes before carving. To serve, slice the lamb and serve with vegetables, scattered with fresh thyme leaves and lemon rind.

Tips

Suggested roasting times per 500g for lamb: Lamb loin (boned and rolled), leg or shoulder (bone-in), easy carve leg or shoulder. Cook at 180ºC. Rare 20-25 min, Medium 25-30 min, Well done 30-35 min.

Judging your roast’s degree of doneness using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature for: Rare – 55-60ºC, Medium rare – 60-65ºC, Medium – 65-70ºC, Medium well – 70-75ºC, Well done – 75ºC.

You can also use tongs to test the roast’s doneness. Gently prod or squeeze the roast –
rare is very soft, medium rare is soft, medium is springy but soft, medium well is firm and well done is very firm.

Roasts need to rest for about 10 to 20 minutes before carving. This gives the juices in the meat a chance to redistribute, giving a moister and more tender result.