Caribbean roast lamb
Levi Roots adds some sunshine to a traditional dish as he serves up his Caribbean roast lamb.
Sunday dinners were never like this!
Ingredients:
For the honey, grenadine and ginger roasted lamb:
3kg (6½ lb) leg of lamb8 tbsp grenadine10 tbsp runny honeyJuice of 3 limes and zest of 28 garlic cloves, finely choppedLeaves from 8 sprigs of thyme2 tsp ground cinnamon2 tsp ground gingerSalt and pepper
For the pomegranate and mint salad:
1 small red onion, very finely sliced Seeds from 2 pomegranates30g (1oz) mint leaves2 tbsp lime juice6 tbsp extra virgin olive oilSalt and pepper
For the reggae herbelicious new potatoes:
750g new potatoes1 tsp salt2 mint sprigsFor the dressing:1 ½ tbsp honey3 tbsp olive oil2 tbsp hot chilli sauce3 spring onions, finely sliced2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaf and stalk2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
Method:
To make the roast lamb, wash the meat and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Using a small, sharp knife, make incisions all over the meat. Mix all the other ingredients to make a marinade and spread it over the lamb, making sure some goes down into the incisions. Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge overnight. Turn the lamb over once or twice.
Remove the lamb from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Put a sheet of foil big enough to go all around the lamb in a roasting tin, lay the meat on top and season all over. Pull the foil up around the leg to almost cover, leaving it open slightly at the top so steam can escape. Cook the lamb in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn it down to 180°C/350°F and cook for a further 2 hours. Open the foil after an hour so that the outside gets a lovely dark glaze, but pull it over again to cover if the honey starts to bum. Baste every so often with the juices and any leftover marinade.
When the lamb is cooked through, pull the foil up round it again, cover it with tea towels and leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
To prepare the potatoes, cut them in half and put them into a pan, cover with water and add salt and mint.
Bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer until the potatoes are only just tender - you don't want them mushy.
While the potatoes are cooking make the reggae reggae dressing by putting the lime juice and honey in a large serving bowl and stirring to dissolve. Add the oil and hot sauce and whisk together. Stir in the spring onions and herbs
When the potatoes are cooked, drain and add them to the bowl and dressing - carefully stir and then leave them to cool slightly. They can be eaten hot or cold.
Make the salad just before serving by simply tossing all the ingredients together. Serve the lamb with the cooking juices and the salad.
Levi's Tip: To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, cut it in half through its equator then, holding the fruit cut side down over a large bowl, bash it hard with a wooden spoon. The seeds should ricochet out!