Name: Shawarma-spiced roast lamb leg with beetroot sauce
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 160 min
Total time: 200 min
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: 6 garlic cloves, peeled; 4 preserved lemon quarters, rinsed, flesh discarded, rind coarsely chopped; 2 tbsp baharat (see note); 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper (see note); 1 tbsp sumac; 70 ml olive oil; 1 lamb leg (about 1.7kg), bone in; Warmed flatbread, to serve; Beetroot yoghurt sauce; 2 beetroot, stalks trimmed; 200 gm Greek-style yoghurt; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1½ tbsp hulled tahini; Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste; 2 garlic cloves; 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (see note); 2½ tbsp olive oil; Parsley and onion salad; 100 ml red wine vinegar; 1 tsp caster sugar; 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced; 1 cup torn mint; 1 cup torn flat-leaf parsley; 1 cup torn coriander; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; Juice of ½ lemon

Shawarma-spiced roast lamb leg with beetroot sauce

For a spicy twist on the traditional lamb roast, our Shawarma-spiced leg with beetroot sauce adds an authentic share dish for the whole table.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep

40M

Cook

2H 40M

Total

3H 20M

This is a true roll-up-your-sleeves dish. Carve off some lamb and wrap it in flatbread with plenty of beetroot sauce and parsley salad – it’s all about getting stuck in. A simple side of braised lentils would round this off nicely.

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves, peeled

4 preserved lemon quarters, rinsed, flesh discarded, rind coarsely chopped

2 tbsp baharat (see note)

1 tbsp Aleppo pepper (see note)

1 tbsp sumac

70 ml olive oil

1 lamb leg (about 1.7kg), bone in

Warmed flatbread, to serve

Beetroot yoghurt sauce

2 beetroot, stalks trimmed

200 gm Greek-style yoghurt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1½ tbsp hulled tahini

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Aleppo pepper (see note)

2½ tbsp olive oil

Parsley and onion salad

100 ml red wine vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar

1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced

1 cup torn mint

1 cup torn flat-leaf parsley

1 cup torn coriander

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

Method

Main

1.For beetroot-yoghurt sauce, preheat oven to 200C. Wrap each beetroot in foil and roast until a knife inserts without resistance (40-45 minutes). Cool, then peel beetroot and coarsely chop. Process in a food processor with remaining ingredients until very smooth, season to taste and refrigerate until required.

2.Pound garlic and 2 tsp sea salt with a mortar and pestle to a paste, add preserved lemon rind, baharat, Aleppo pepper and sumac and pound to a paste (you can also do this in a small food processor). Stir in oil and season to taste. Slash lamb leg at 3cm-4cm intervals, rub spice paste all over and into incisions, cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 1-1½ hours or overnight in the refrigerator (bring lamb to room temperature before cooking).

3.Preheat oven to 180C. Place lamb in a roasting pan and roast, basting occasionally with pan juices, until cooked to your liking (1 hour 45 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes for medium-rare, and internal temperature reaches 54C-58C on a meat thermometer). Cover with foil and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

4.For parsley and onion salad, bring vinegar and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan, add onion, remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes to pickle. Drain, reserving a little liquid. Just before serving, add herbs, drizzle with oil, lemon juice and a little pickling liquid, season to taste and toss to combine. Serve salad with roast lamb, beetroot sauce and warmed flatbread.

Baharat, meaning seeds and flowers, is a Middle Eastern spice blend. It’s available from herbies.com.au or Middle Eastern delicatessens. Aleppo pepper is a hot dried Turkish chilli, available from Turkish grocers. If it’s unavailable, substitute roasted chilli flakes.
Drink Suggestion: Juicy gamay. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes