1 hr 45 mins plus resting time
Super easy
serves 6
About the recipe
A beautiful Italian version of a roast leg of lamb – this is a real crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
2kg quality leg of lamb
olive oil
3 round purple aubergines (or 4 normal ones)
2 red onions
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 bunch of fresh rosemary
TOMATO SAUCE
2–3 cloves of garlic
1 big bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 dried red chilli
2 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes
herb or red wine vinegar
3 anchovy fillets in oil, from sustainable sources
extra virgin olive oil
Top Tip
Delicious served with a lovely glass of Italian red, such as Barolo.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7.
- Rub the lamb all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, place in a roasting tray, then roast for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, halve the aubergines and chop into 5cm erratic wedges, then peel and chop each onion into 6 wedges. Toss in a little olive oil with a sprinkling of salt, pepper and the dried oregano.
- When the time's up, remove the lamb from the oven, pour away most of the fat, then pick over the rosemary.
- Scatter the aubergine and onion in and around the lamb, then place back in the oven for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Peel and finely slice the garlic, and pick and finely chop the parsley (stalks and all). Crumble the chilli.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and parsley stalks and fry for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and pepper, a good swig of vinegar, the dried chilli and the anchovy fillets. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Make a point of checking the veg and lamb after 20 minutes – turn the lamb over and stir the veggies, making sure they don’t dry out, adding a splash of water, if needed.
- Once cooked, remove the lamb to a platter, cover with tin foil and allow to rest.
- Pour away any excess fat from the lamb tray, then tip the tomato sauce over the roasted aubergines and onions.
- Place the tray on a medium heat, and using a wooden spoon, scrape loose all the sticky bits at the bottom but try not to break up the veg too much – you want it to be a chunky sauce, not a pulp. Add most of the parsley leaves and simmer for a couple of minutes on a gentle heat.
- Now taste the sauce – it should be slightly sweet and slightly sour, so it may need another little swig of vinegar. When you’re happy, pour the sauce either on to a separate platter or on to the same one as the lamb.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the reserved parsley. Delicious served with warm bread and a seasonal salad.
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