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Barbecued leg of lamb with almond and mint sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for barbecued leg of lamb with almond and mint sauce

By Rodney Dunn
  • 10 mins preparation
  • 16 mins cooking plus marinating and resting
  • Serves 6
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Barbecued leg of lamb with almond and mint sauce
Pop this lamb on the barbie for a quick Easter option.
Deboning a leg of lamb
1 Using a sharp boning knife and with lamb skin-side down, cut carefully along the pelvic bone at the top of the leg. Keeping the knife close to the bone, follow its edge to where the ball and socket meets the thigh bone. When the bone is disconnected from the meat, move it around slightly to see where it attaches to the thigh bone through the hip socket. Sever the connecting tendons, then cut through joint to remove bone.
2 Cut around the top of the thigh bone, then cut along the leg where the thigh bone is closest to the surface.
3 Trim around the thigh bone, working your knife as close to it as possible, down to the knee joint, then remove the bone completely.
4 Remove shank bone by cutting meat from one side of the bone, then up and around the knee joint and kneecap. Twist shank to disconnect, remove any remaining bones.
5 To butterfly, cut horizontally into the thickest parts on either side of where the thigh bone was removed and open outward.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg leg of lamb, boned and butterflied
  • For rubbing: olive oil
Almond and mint sauce
  • 3 anchovy fillets
  • 2 golden shallots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) mint leaves
  • 40 gm raw almonds (¼ cup)
  • 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (¼ cup)
  • To taste: lemon juice
  • To serve: green salad

Method

Main
  • 1
    Season lamb with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and rub with olive oil. Set meat aside at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat a barbecue or large chargrill pan over high heat. Add lamb, skin-side down, and cook for 3 minutes each side. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes for medium-rare. Remove lamb and rest, loosely covered, for 10 minutes.
  • 2
    For almond and mint sauce, combine anchovies, shallot, garlic and lemon rind in a mortar and, using a pestle, pound to a coarse paste. Add mint and almonds, pounding until smooth. Stir through olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste.
  • 3
    Slice lamb and serve with almond and mint sauce spooned over and a green salad to the side.