On the heat. Mild

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg leg of lamb, rolled or bone in
• 6 cloves garlic, slivered · rosemary sprigs
• 2 tbsp oil · salt, black pepper
• 2 onions, 2 carrots, for the trivet
• — GRAVY
• 2 tbsp flour · 200 ml red wine · 600 ml stock
• 1 tsp redcurrant jelly
• — MINT SAUCE
• Large bunch mint, leaves only
• 2 tbsp caster sugar · 3 tbsp boiling water
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method

1. Out of the fridge 90 minutes early. Stab, insert garlic and rosemary, oil and salt heavily.
2. On the vegetable trivet. 230 °C for 20 minutes, then 180 °C.
3. 15 minutes per 500 g for pink (58 °C), 18 for medium, 22 for well done. Total time includes the first 20 minutes.
4. Mint sauce: chop the mint with the sugar — the sugar acts as an abrasive and stops it bruising — then dissolve with boiling water and add the vinegar. Rest 30 minutes.
5. Rest the lamb 25 minutes on a board, loosely tented. Meanwhile pour off most of the fat, whisk flour into the tray over heat, add wine and reduce, then stock, then simmer 10 minutes and strain. Redcurrant jelly at the end.
6. Carve across the grain, and pour any board juices into the gravy.

Cook's note. Mint sauce, not mint jelly. Sharp vinegar cutting the fat is the entire point of the pairing. Sweet green jelly does the opposite job.

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