The secret to the perfect roast lamb loin
With this tip your lamb will be golden brown all over. You’ll serve it with this special mint sauce and the best carrots you’ll ever eat.
Sundays were always eagerly anticipated as a child because at some point during the day the aroma of roasted meat would sweep through the house, awakening my appetite. My interest piqued, I would make a bee-line to the kitchen, curious to discover what magic was responsible for these heavenly smells. With my face pressed as close as I would dare to the oven, I would observe a roast loin of pork, a rib of beef, a leg of lamb or sometimes a whole chicken with its skin forming a caramelised crust while the golden fat would sizzle and hiss as it rendered in the roasting tray below.
Of course, roasting meat is nothing new; early humans would skewer animals on sticks and hold them over open fire, slowly turning them until the meat was cooked through. This not only resulted transformation of ingredients, but also the way in which we eat and digest: reducing the need for incessant chewing and freeing us to focus on other pursuits. As our societies developed so did our tools and methods, seeing roasting gradually moving away from the stick, spit and cooking over fire and into the convection ovens that we find in our kitchens today. The size of our households and our ovens saw us move from whole animals to cuts or joints of meat which are much more manageable and consistent to cook.
A Sunday roast is not just about the meal but a ritual; an occasion to gather round the table, break bread, and converse with one another. I still find that I have to adapt to Easter in the Southern Hemisphere as it heralds the transition into Autumn rather than the beginning of Spring, but either way lamb is synonymous with Easter and is pretty amazing to eat all year round in Australia. (This weekend also try the chocolate tart recipe Lennox Hastie perfected over years.)
Despite lamb’s lasting appeal, we still treat it like a commodity and don’t properly consider its various breeds and diets, which have a significant impact on the final flavour. Some individuals dislike lamb because they believe it has an overpowering aroma and flavour, but in my experience, this is usually due to inferior quality. Instead, look for lamb from a trusted source that raises the animals in a sustainable and humane manner. There are many cuts to choose from including leg, shoulder, saddle, rack, chump and breast and options including bone-in or bone-out. So, it is worthwhile striking up a conversation with your local butcher as to what they might recommend depending on how many people you want to feed and how confident you feel when it comes to carving off the bone.
For a straightforward roast that doesn’t require hours of slaving in the kitchen and is easy to carve and enjoy for 3 to 4 people, I recommend asking your butcher for a boned loin of lamb with the belly, as it has a great fat to meat ratio and the belly can be rolled around the loin like a mini porchetta - crisp on the outside leaving the meat pink and juicy in the middle.
Searing the loin in a pan allows you to control the colour on the outside; then oven cooking at a slightly lower temperature ensures the meat doesn’t overcook so easily. Resting a joint of meat is vital, and it is important to note that it will continue to cook even after you take it out of the oven.
Like lamb, we deal with a similar lack of appreciation of carrot diversity which, thanks to the Dutch homage to William of Orange in the 17th century, we mistakenly think are naturally orange. Actually, the original colour of carrots was purple. Purple carrots can now be found in supermarkets across the nation thanks to the efforts of producers and chef Peter Gilmore’s passion for vegetables. If you visit a farmers’ market, you might find that even more varieties as yellow, red, and even white carrots are once again being celebrated.
Roasted loin of lamb
Ingredients
1 boned lamb loin with belly attached (approx. 1.2kg)
1tsp fennel seed, toasted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
½ bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼ bunch marjoram, finely chopped
Zest of ½ lemon
5g sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 bunch purple carrots, washed and trimmed
1 bunch Dutch carrots, washed and trimmed
2 sprigs rosemary
¼ bunch marjoram
Mint & caper sauce
300ml Malt vinegar
40g Sugar
½ bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tsp capers, finely chopped
Recipe
In a small bowl, mix the fennel seed, garlic, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, lemon zest salt and olive oil. Lay out the loin meat side up, rub the herb mixture on top, coating it evenly. Starting at the thicker end, roll the lamb tightly into a cylinder, placing the bay leaf on the top. Tie at intervals with kitchen string to secure. If possible, I like to do this the night before and leave the loin uncovered on a rack in the fridge to dry the exterior, which will result in crispier lamb.
Preheat your oven to 170°C and allow your lamb to come to room temperature.
Heat a heavy based pan with 10ml olive oil add lamb and turning several times for 8-10 minutes until golden brown all over and the fat has rendered.
Remove the lamb loin and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you place the carrots in the pan with the rendered lamb fat. Season and caramelise lightly for 3-5 minutes before removing.
Place the lamb in the oven, using the carrots as the trivet underneath so that the lamb doesn’t touch the tray directly and roast for approximately 30-35 minutes until medium rare, adding the rosemary and marjoram during the last five minutes of cooking.
To make the mint sauce reduce the malt vinegar and the sugar in a saucepan until reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency. Allow to cool slightly before adding the mint and capers, stirring well to incorporate.
Remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest in a warm place for 10 minutes before removing the string and carving the meat.
Serve the slices of roast lamb on top of the carrots, spooning over the mint sauce to finish.
