This grilled lamb dish will certainly wow your family over Easter & at any other time of the year that you decide to cook it. Serving it family-style means less messing around in the kitchen trying to sexy up multiple plates and more time to chat with your in-laws. Hmmm hold on a sec, might need to rethink this one!
If you just saw my Easter dessert that I posted and were wondering what the hell to cook before you demolished it. Then look no further because AnotherFoodBlogger has you covered with this grilled lamb! My folks were in town from Ireland recently and I wanted to create a few dishes that I could serve family style so that I didn’t have to spend time plating multiple dishes in the kitchen while the wife was being told hour-long stories she had heard half a dozen times already! This way we had one (I think) great looking plate of food in the middle of the table and everyone could just tuck in and make their own mess – just watch the table!!! Not to mention fewer headaches for the missus. Couple this grilled lamb dish with my AWESOME hummus and you are #sorted.
Lamb
Lamb is one of my favorite proteins to use. I have to say I really miss the lamb from back home. Where is home you ask? Good question, currently it's Brisbane but my beautiful wife and I grew up in Dublin, Ireland. You really can’t beat the lamb from Ireland. It gets to roam free and snack on the herbs and plants in its natural environment. It really does add so much natural flavor to the meat. Recently, my wife, our now 19-month-old and I moved from NYC to Brisbane. The lamb here is awesome but I'm sorry to say not as good as at home. But certainly a lot better than the lamb roaming the streets of NY!!
Loving Brisbane/Weber
The thing that I love the most about living here in Brissie is the fact I finally got my hands on a Weber BBQ. Yes, they are an American brand of BBQ coming out of Chicago. But my tiny little NY apt didn’t lend itself to too much BBQ’ing. PLUS everyone knows having a BBQ in Ireland means only getting to use it about a dozen times a year, while standing under an umbrella. So I never invested in much there.
What makes the Weber so damn good is their lid down cooking. It's like having an oven on steroids outside. TRUST me when it’s hitting 40c / 104f with humidity in the 90’s you don’t really want the oven to be adding another 200c’s to your already struggling AC unit. Anyways, aside from my love affair with my Weber there are many awesome things about living in Brisbane. I am sure one day soon I’ll share some of them with you when I take a break from the kitchen.
Wine Pairing
I'm gonna ruffle a few feathers here with this one and go MERLOT!!! Mer-what? I know, I know, merlot hasn't got the best of reputations these days but honest to god there are some crackers out there! Often massed produced and definitely overdone in California at least it has grown out of popularity somewhat. WELL, prepare to have your mind changed in a matter of mls!!
The Leconfield Coonawarra 2018 Merlot did that for me. I haven't drunk straight merlot in AGES, probably since I watched Paul Giamatti roast it throughout the movie 'sideways'. Well, a recent trip to SA wine tasting and not going to Leconfield was heavily chastised by my buddy Dan over at winedirect.com.au - so much so he shipped me a bottle of their Merlot to prove Merlot is great and to show me what I was missing by not popping in to the winery!
Merlot is a super versatile grape to pair with food but goes especially well with grilled meats. So, when I was whipping this up the other night I figured let's crack open another bottle (I bought 6 after he sent the freebie!) and give it a go. Melt in your mouth perfection. Yep, that was the lamb but boy did the Merlot compliment it well. A medium to full-bodied wine that drinks great now after a little time in the decanter but will develop outstandingly over time (hence me picking up 6). Ripe plums, mint, a little chocolate (who doesn't love choc!), blackcurrant, and firm enough tannins. Oak is present but to me, there is an elegance and finesse to the wine. My recommendation is to decant for 30 minutes to open it up and try your very best not to open a 2nd 😉
Happy Eating and Happy Cooking Friends!
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1/2 leg boned & butterflied approx 1 kg
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp rosemary chopped finely
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- salt
- pepper
Parsley Oil
- 2 tbsp olive oi
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 handful parsley finely chopped
- salt
- pepper
- 1 handful almonds chopped
- 1 handful raisins
- 4 - 8 carrots cut into equal sizes
- 1 tsp honey
- hummus
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together (except lamb) to make marinade. Marinate lamb for minimum of 1 hr but as long as 24 hrs if possible (see tip)
- Grill on BBQ @ 200c skin side down first for 8 - 10 mins, turn lamb over and grill for a further 10 mins or until internal temp of lamb is about 57c (for medium rare),
- Remove from heat, cover loosely with foil and leave rest for 7 mins. During this time the lamb will still cook and internal temp will rise to about 63c.
Carrots
- Drizzle carrots with olive oil, salt/pepper and a tsp of honey.
- Roast in oven @ 200c for 20 mins until cooked through and golden in colour.
Parsley Oil
- Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and stir.
To Serve
- Smear a large amount of hummus on chopping board or large plate. Arrange carrots on top of hummus.
- Slice lamb into appropriate sized pieces. Place lamb over carrots/hummus.
- Sprinkle raisins & almonds over lamb and drizzle parsley oil on top.
Notes
Essential Tools
- small food processor - to make hummus
- roasting tray BBQ or oven (see tip)
- measuring spoons
- small mixing bowl
- aluminium foil
- chopping board
- sharp knives
Tips/Tricks
- if you don't have a BBQ (or live in Ireland!) the lamb can be roasted skin side up on a roasting pan or a rack for 18-20 mins @ 200c until internal temp is 57c
- lamb shoulder is full of flavor but can tend to be a little tougher than leg. Marinating it for as long as possible will help tenderize it
- leg of lamb will work just as well if the shoulder is unavailable
- if you prefer your lamb a little more cooked than medium rare then cook on the grill for 4-5 mins longer. Don't forget to leave it rest
Nutrition
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