My contribution to achieving less wasted food is to pass on the knowledge I gained growing up on a farm. How to use every bit of a roast leg of spring lamb. I have used Coastal Spring Lamb coming off farms from the North Island's west and east coast. Natural sea salt (driven by sea breezes), covering grazing pastures and clever crop planting to finish the lambs quickly, give these lambs their standout quality and flavour. Coastal Spring Lamb is the New Zealand Food Awards 2016 Supreme Winner and is available at selected New World supermarkets and meat retailers, or buy online coastalspringlamb.co.nz.
Lamb and potatoes
| 2 kgs | Leg of lamb, leg, at room temp (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 2 sprigs | Oregano |
| 18 | Small potatoes, skins scrubbed |
| 25 g | Butter |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
Mushrooms in paper
| 500 g | Mixed mushrooms, wiped clean with damp kitchen paper if needed (Main) |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| ½ cup | Cream |
| 2 cloves | Garlic, very finely chopped |
| 2 Tbsp | Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped |
Asparagus
| 2 bunches | Asparagus, fat and juicy (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Olive oil, or more if needed |
Directions
For the lamb
- Heat the oven to 200C. Place the leg of lamb in a roasting dish. Drizzle with the oil and season with freshly ground black pepper. Scatter around the oregano sprigs.
- Place in the oven and roast for 1½ hours. If you prefer lamb that is slightly pink, then reduce cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
- Remove lamb from the oven, sprinkle with a little salt, cover with foil and a clean tea towel. Leave to rest in a warm place. You can cook the vegetables (below) once the lamb has been removed from the oven.
- To serve, slice lamb across the grain into thick or thin slices and serve with the roast potatoes, mushrooms and their sauce and the grilled asparagus.
For the potatoes
For even better roast potatoes, blanch in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and dry off over the heat before placing in the hot roasting dish.
- Heat the oven to 200C. Melt the butter and oil in a roasting dish, then drop in the potatoes. Shake the dish well to coat potatoes in the fat. Season with salt. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until golden, crisp on the outside and tender inside.
For the mushrooms
- Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper, leaving enough overhang to make a parcel. Trim the mushroom stalks and place in the fridge to add to yourlamb stock.Place the mushrooms on the paper-lined tray and drizzle over the oil and cream. Scatter over the garlic and parsley and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold over the excess baking paper and crimp edges closed as tight as you can. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
For the asparagus
- Heat a chargrill until hot. Untie the asparagus spears from their bundle and trim the tough stalk from the base only. Blanch asparagus in lightly salted boiling water, about 1 minute. Drain and pat dry with kitchen being careful not to snap the spears.
- Rub with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on the hot grill and grill until dark grill lines appear and the spears are just tender. Use the point of a small sharp knife to test. Remove from the chargrill and place on a warmed platter with the roast potatoes and mushrooms.