Roast lamb stuffed with apricot & mint
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Roast lamb stuffed with apricot & mint

By Aidan McGee

Take roast lamb to another level with a flavourful apricot and mint stuffing. Great for a Sunday roast, or as an alternative to turkey at Christmas

  • Prep:30 mins
    Cook:1 hrs 10 mins
    Plus resting
  • Serves 6
  • More effort

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 846
  • fat 48g
  • saturates 22g
  • carbs 33g
  • sugars 15g
  • fibre 4g
  • protein 67g
  • salt 1g

Ingredients

  • 1 leg of lamb (about 2kg), boned (ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 100g carrot, chopped
  • 100g leek, chopped
  • 100g celery, chopped
  • ½ bulb of garlic, broken into cloves and lightly crushed
  • ½ pack rosemary
  • 500ml lamb or chicken stock
  • 200g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
  • ½ pack mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 150-200g breadcrumbs (using 200g gives you more solid stuffing, which is easier to carve; 150g is softer and more spoonable)
  • 1 egg

Tip

Keep it neat

For a very neat finish, ask your butcher to tunnel bone the lamb.

Method

  1. Lay the lamb, skin-side down, on a board – if the joint you bought is tied up, then snip the strings and unroll it. Cut several pieces of string long enough to tie around the lamb, then slide them under the joint so they’re regularly spaced out. Mix the stuffing ingredients together, and season well. Spread the stuffing out along the middle of the lamb, then fold the meat over to form a roll. Tie the string so the roll stays together, but don’t make it too tight or it will cut into the meat. Tie some string lengthways too, if necessary.

  2. Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Season the lamb evenly all over. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then brown the lamb all over. Start with the side where the seam meets, as this will stop the lamb breaking up when you carve it.

  3. Tip the veg, garlic and rosemary into a roasting tin and put the lamb on top, seam-side down. Cook the lamb until the core temperature reaches 60C on a meat thermometer – this should take around 1 hr for a 2kg leg. As you rest the lamb, the temperature will continue to rise so don’t overcook it.

  4. Lift the lamb out of the tin and, keeping it warm, rest for up to an hour. Put the roasting tin on the hob. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into a saucepan, scraping up any bits. Add 500ml water and then simmer again until reduced by half. Pour through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb.

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