It has been a busy week with overseas guests, Kris came home from Australia, Michael moved to Australia, Kris is returning to Australia this weekend, my computer crashed and the weather is nasty.
Michael's choice for his last home cooked meal for awhile was roast lamb with a roasted vegetable salad. This is ideal entertaining as the vegetables are cooked in the afternoon, the lamb cooks slowly in the oven leaving you free to do what ever it is you do.
I use whichever vegetables are available at the time. For this meal it was carrots, parsnips, beetroot, onions, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, spring onions and garlic. Drizzle oil over vegetables and sprinkle with maldon salt. In a hot oven (220C) roast root vegetables first and half way through add the remaining vegetables. Remove when cooked and arrange on a serving platter.
Just before serving drizzle over the vegetables a dressing made of 1 crushed clove garlic, 2 tablespoons Pomegranate molasses, 6 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Carving is made easier by using a boned leg of lamb. The night before I rub the lamb with olive oil, crushed garlic, juice of a lemon and maldon salt. Take it out of the fridge an hour before it is to go in the oven, tie it with string so it retains its shape and place it in a roasting dish on top of a layer of rosemary stalks . Heat oven to 220C, cover the lamb with foil and put it in the oven. After half an hour turn oven down to 160C and roast for a an hour and a half. Remove foil and turn oven back up to 190C for last half hour. Take lamb out of oven and cover with foil and rest for half an hour before carving. These times will vary depending on the size of the lamb and whether you prefer your lamb well cooked or pink.
To complete the meal I serve a sauce made with 1 cup natural yoghurt mixed with a bunch of parsley ( chopped).
