Ready Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
Preparation Time: 40 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (2-3 sprigs) fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 cup Italian parsley leaves, loosely packed
- 1¼ teaspoons (4-5 sprigs) fresh thyme leaves
- 8 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seed toasted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 lemons, zested (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 oranges, zested (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 boneless leg of lamb 1.6kg, fat trimmed and butterflied
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment
- Butcher's twine
Method
- Combine rosemary, parsley, thyme, garlic, cumin, 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice in the small bowl of a food processor. Process into a coarse puree. Scrape puree into a medium bowl and stir in lemon and orange zests. Set aside.
- Unroll lamb and place fat side down between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lamb using a rolling pin or meat mallet to about 2cm thickness, creating as much of a rectangle shape as possible. Making a few shallow cuts in the thicker portions of the interior of the lamb will help it to flatten more easily when pounding.
- Season both sides with salt and pepper then lay lamb on work surface fat side down. Spread the puree evenly on top.
- Starting from the short side, tightly roll lamb in a jelly-roll fashion. Using butcher's twine, tie at 2.5cm, intervals to secure lamb and create a cylindrical shape. Cook immediately or wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Before cooking, remove lamb from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- To cook, insert wire rack into rack position 3. Select ROAST/220°C (450°F)/65 minutes. Press Start to preheat. Place lamp on top of the rack in the roasting pan and brush top with 1 tablespoon olive oil. After 15 minutes drop temperature to 160°C (325°F) for the remaining cooking time.
- Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre of the thickest part reads 52°C for medium-rare, about 50 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise as the lamb rests.
- Transfer lamb to a cutting board, loosely tent with foil and rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.