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Easter Lamb with Roast Spring Onions and Mint Sauce

Young Spring Lamb is sweet and succulent and needs absolutely no embellishment apart from a dusting of salt and pepper and a little fresh Mint Sauce - made from the first tender sprigs of mint from the cold frame in the Kitchen garden.

For me this is the quintessential taste of Easter.

Serves 6-8

1 leg of spring lamb

salt and freshly ground pepper

Gravy

600ml (1 pint) lamb or chicken stock

a little roux (see recipe)

salt and freshly ground pepper

Roast Spring Onions (see recipe)

Garnish

Sprigs of fresh mint and parsley

Mint Sauce (see recipe)

If possible ask your butcher to remove the aitch bone from the top of the leg of lamb so that it will be easier to carve later, then trim the knuckle end of the leg.  Season the skin with salt and freshly ground pepper.   Put into a roasting tin.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/regulo 4.   Roast for 1-1 1/4 hours approx. for rare, 1¼ -1 1/2 hours for medium and 1 1/2-1 3/4 hours for well done, depending on size.  When the lamb is cooked to your taste, remove the joint to a carving dish.  Rest the lamb for 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile make the gravy.   Degrease the juices in the roasting tin, add stock.  Bring to the boil and whisk in a little roux to thicken slightly.   Taste and allow to bubble up until the flavour is concentrated enough.  Correct the seasoning and serve hot with the lamb, roast spring onions and lots of crusty roast potatoes.

Mint Sauce

Traditional Mint Sauce made with tender young shoots of fresh mint takes only minutes to make.  It’s the perfect accompaniment to Spring lamb but for those who are expecting a bright green jelly, the slightly dull colour and watery texture comes as a surprise.  That’s how it ought to be, try it.

Makes 180ml/6 fl ozs approx.

25g (1oz) finely chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons sugar

110ml (4fl oz) boiling water

25ml (1fl oz) white wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put the sugar and freshly-chopped mint into a sauce boat.  Add the boiling water and vinegar or lemon juice.  Allow to infuse for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Roast Onions

Serves 6-8

450g (1lb) small or medium onions

butter

Sea salt

I’m always surprised that so few people cook onions in this ultra simple way.

Choose small or medium-sized onions.  Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/regulo 6.

Cook the unpeeled onions on a baking tray until soft; this can take anything from 10 to 30 minutes depending on size.

Serve in their jackets.  To eat, cut off the root end, squeeze out the onion and enjoy with butter and sea salt.

Roux

110g (4oz) butter

110g (4oz) flour

Melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally.  Use as required.   Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot if preferred.   It will keep at least a fortnight in a refrigerator.

This is a recipe by
Darina Allen
View all my recipes

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