Butterflied Leg Of Lamb With Salsa Verde

This is a gorgeous recipe with succulent New Zealand lamb and a tangy salsa verde,  it’s the perfect match to a classic Stella Artois.

Ingredients:

• A butterflied leg of lamb – feeds four (double the recipe for larger groups)
• 100mls of natural unsweetened yoghurt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and Pepper

For Salsa Verde:

• 1 ½ cups of baby spinach leaves
• ½ cup of herbs – mint, parsley or basil work well
• 3 x cloves of garlic peeled
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 200mls of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For Sides:

• Kumara
• Whole fresh beetroot
• Mint leaves
• Crumbed feta
• Avocado oil
• A toss of greens – beans, asparagus, sugar snap peas

Method:

Mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice and lemon zest. Spread this all over the lamb and season well with salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for at least an hour.

Heat your grill pan to hot and when at temperature, place the lamb top side down in the pan. Once you have a good seared, and nicely coloured surface, turn the lamb over. Lower the heat and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, If you like your lamb well cooked make that 15 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the pan and place it in a dish to rest. Pour over the pan juices, season with salt and pepper, cover, and allow the meat to “rest” for 15 minutes.

If cooking on the BBQ:

The BBQ should be at a lower gentle heat. Place the lamb leg onto the grill and sear as above. Turn the meat over and continue cooking on the flat plate. Follow the instructions as above.

To make the Salsa Verde:

Place all the ingredients except the oil in your blender. Start processing and stream the oil in slowly to create a sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Slice the lamb and arrange on your serving platter. Spoon some of the Salsa Verde across the meat. Serve the remaining in a bowl alongside a bowl of plain yoghurt to let guests add condiments as they desire.

Serve the lamb with a mix of roasted kumara, chunky cooked beetroot, mint leaves and crumbled feta. Dress with a good splash of avocado oil, season well with salt and pepper.

A toss of greens, use beans, asparagus, sugar snap peas, whatever you can gather that is fresh and best. Blanch the greens in salted water cooking until just tender. Just before you serve, heat some butter or oil in a pan and toss gently to warm through.