My nana was a great cook. Growing up without a lot of money, she knew how to stretch out meals, make great dishes from cheaper cuts and fill up the bellies of hungry men and fussy kids. But it was on special occasions when she would really impress and nobody could come close to making a roast like hers. Nana would get up before the dairy farmers so that lunch would still be served by noon but I have tweaked her recipe so that the whole process takes about 2 hours with some prep the night before – and it might not be quite as good as Nan’s, but it's pretty close.

Remove the leg of lamb from any packaging or wrapping and place uncovered in the fridge the night before you wish to cook. You can prepare the potatoes the night before. Then bring it out of the fridge about an hour before you start the cook so it comes up to room temperature.

You can also prepare the potatoes in advance. I like to have them soaking for at least an hour but you can even do them the day before to save time. Peel and chop the potatoes into halves or quarters – make as many ‘angles’ as you can. The more surface area, the more crispy they will be. Place in a large container of salted water. About an hour before you cook, remove them from the water, drain and then pat dry using a clean tea towel or paper towel. You want to get as much moisture out of them as you can.

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C (fan).

You want to use a deep roasting dish that has a wire rack. It needs to be large enough to hold the rack with the lamb, all the potatoes and any other roasted vegetables you desire (we love carrots, onion and pumpkin). You are better to have a roasting pan that is too big than one that is too small. If it is too crowded, the vegetables won't get crispy. They will ‘sweat’ and stew instead. If necessary, put potatoes in the lamb roasting tray and cook other vegetables separately.

Place dripping/duck fat into the roasting dish and place in the oven to heat. Meanwhile, season the lamb with salt flakes and freshly ground pepper. Finely chop one sprig of rosemary and about 3 cloves of garlic. Mix into a big glug of oil and massage into the lamb.

Remove the tray from the oven and carefully place all the potatoes into the hot fat. Nestle sprigs of rosemary and the remaining whole garlic cloves throughout the potatoes and season with salt flakes. Then place the wire rack in the tray and place the lamb onto the rack and put it all back in the oven for 1½ hours or until the internal temperature is 65°C (70°C for med well done).

I recommend using a meat thermometer. They are so easy nowadays and some are even wireless so they will tell you when the meat is at the correct temperature. My nana didn’t have a thermometer but she would check the meat and potatoes frequently. Removing them from the oven to turn the potatoes at least twice during the cook. When ready, remove from the oven. Place the lamb on a chopping board covered loosely with foil and a tea towel in a warm place for 15 minutes to rest.

If the potatoes need more time, leave them in the oven. Otherwise, remove them and place them on a wire rack and put them back in the oven but turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar. You don’t want them to keep cooking but you don’t want them to cool too much or they will go soggy. Just before you’re ready to serve, put them in a large bowl or platter and toss them with good-quality salt flakes.

To make the mint sauce, bring water to a rapid boil. Pick and finely chop the mint and place in a bowl. Add in sugar, a good pinch of salt flakes, a splash of boiling water and vinegar. Adjust to taste.

Carve the lamb and serve with roast potatoes, mint sauce and other vegetables of your choice.

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Lamb Leg Roast

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Nana's Sunday Leg of Lamb

Servings: 6

Author: Sarah Lang

My nana was a great cook. Growing up without a lot of money, she knew how to stretch out meals, make great dishes from cheaper cuts and fill up the bellies of hungry men and fussy kids. But it was on special occasions when she would really impress and nobody could come close to making a roast like hers. Nana would get up before the dairy farmers so that lunch would still be served by noon but I have tweaked her recipe so that the whole process takes about 2 hours with some prep the night before – and it might not be quite as good as Nan’s, but it's pretty close.

Ingredients

2kg leg of lamb
1 whole bulb garlic
4-5 large springs of rosemary
Olive oil
1.5kg potatoes
100g duck fat or dripping*
salt
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
* Nana would always have a small shallow dish in the fridge where she put the dripping from cooking lamb chops, bacon and roast meats. Duck fat is a good substitute if you don’t have your own dripping. I find store-bought dripping not as flavoursome as duck fat.

Mint Sauce

Large bunch fresh mint
1 tsp sugar
3 tbs wine vinegar
Boiling water

Method

Remove the leg of lamb from any packaging or wrapping and place uncovered in the fridge the night before you wish to cook. You can prepare the potatoes the night before. Then bring it out of the fridge about an hour before you start the cook so it comes up to room temperature.
You can also prepare the potatoes in advance. I like to have them soaking for at least an hour but you can even do them the day before to save time. Peel and chop the potatoes into halves or quarters – make as many ‘angles’ as you can. The more surface area, the more crispy they will be. Place in a large container of salted water. About an hour before you cook, remove them from the water, drain and then pat dry using a clean tea towel or paper towel. You want to get as much moisture out of them as you can.
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC (fan).
You want to use a deep roasting dish that has a wire rack. It needs to be large enough to hold the rack with the lamb, all the potatoes and any other roasted vegetables you desire (we love carrots, onion and pumpkin). You are better to have a roasting pan that is too big than one that is too small. If it is too crowded, the vegetables won't get crispy. They will ‘sweat’ and stew instead. If necessary, put potatoes in the lamb roasting tray and cook other vegetables separately.
Place dripping/duck fat into the roasting dish and place in the oven to heat. Meanwhile, season the lamb with salt flakes and freshly ground pepper. Finely chop one sprig of rosemary and about 3 cloves of garlic. Mix into a big glug of oil and massage into the lamb.
Remove the tray from the oven and carefully place all the potatoes into the hot fat. Nestle sprigs of rosemary and the remaining whole garlic cloves throughout the potatoes and season with salt flakes. Then place the wire rack in the tray and place the lamb onto the rack and put it all back in the oven for 1½ hours or until the internal temperature is 65ºC (70ºC for med well done).
I recommend using a meat thermometer. They are so easy nowadays and some are even wireless so they will tell you when the meat is at the correct temperature. My nana didn’t have a thermometer but she would check the meat and potatoes frequently. Removing them from the oven to turn the potatoes at least twice during the cook. When ready, remove from the oven. Place the lamb on a chopping board covered loosely with foil and a tea towel in a warm place for 15 minutes to rest.
If the potatoes need more time, leave them in the oven. Otherwise, remove them and place them on a wire rack and put them back in the oven but turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar. You don’t want them to keep cooking but you don’t want them to cool too much or they will go soggy. Just before you’re ready to serve, put them in a large bowl or platter and toss them with good-quality salt flakes.
To make the mint sauce, bring water to a rapid boil. Pick and finely chop the mint and place in a bowl. Add in sugar, a good pinch of salt flakes, a splash of boiling water and vinegar. Adjust to taste.
Carve the lamb and serve with roast potatoes, mint sauce and other vegetables of your choice.

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