Roast lemon & thyme lamb

Roast lemon & thyme lamb

Everyone needs a classic Sunday roast to pull out of the bag when you need to impress someone - this is it

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 2 hrs

Ready in 2 hours 30 mins

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the onion rings and garlic halves in a roasting tray with 4 tbsp water. Sit the lamb on top and rub the surface of the meat with oil.
  2. Stab the skin side of the lamb 15-20 times with a small, sharp knife, twisting to make small holes. Stuff the lemon zest and thyme sprigs into the holes. Season well.
  3. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes for medium rare, 1 hour 30 minutes for medium, 1 hour 45 minutes for medium-well done and 2 hours for well done. Baste the lamb 3-4 times with the juices in the base of the tin as it cooks.
  4. Once cooked, rest on a plate or board for 20-30 minutes under foil. Serve with roast potatoes and any juices.
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Know-how

Make a rich gravy: pour excess fat from the tin, then sit it on the hob over a high heat. Stir 1 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly into the onions until the jelly melts. Add 175ml red wine. Boil for 30 seconds, add 350ml stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Season then strain through a sieve.

Per serving

375 kcalories, protein 45.7g, carbohydrate 5.6g, fat 19 g, saturated fat 9.1g, fibre 0.9g, salt 0.51 g

Recipe from olive magazine, July 2005.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Efi

    12 November 2007

    Efi commented on this recipe

    A very aesthatically pleasing result! There was complete silence at the table. I added extra lemons to the recipe and the result was beautiful!

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  • 09 September 2008

    tweedletwo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really lovely - timings a bit long but still turned out great

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  • 03 November 2008

    Haley rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    really lovely . very easy to cook.

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  • 22 March 2009

    HollyMac rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    very easy, and a big hit with my family for mothers day.

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  • 12 April 2009

    jo62 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this for Easter lunch. Absolutely fantastic way to cook lamb. I also followed instructions for the rich gravy - didn't have any redcurrant jelly so substituted some bought Cumberland sauce that I found in the cupboard - really tasty and complimented the lamb perfectly. Would certainly make again.

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  • Binder photo HMP

    18 April 2009

    HMP rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for Easter Sunday lunch and it was fantastic. I used the zest of 2 lemons and added 2 x tablespoons of redcurrant jelly to the gravy and it was superb - the bone was picked clean!

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  • 21 May 2009

    moey commented on this recipe

    I have family coming over for the weekend and eat me out of house and home every time they visit, i must say i cant wait to get cracking with this dish its so mouth watering just thinking about it.

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  • 21 June 2009

    katfood commented on this recipe

    I made this today and it was delicious! The citrus cut through the quite rich gravy which made it a lighter tasting Sunday lunch for a warm summers day. Will make again definitely.

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  • Binder photo VC

    12 April 2010

    VC rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    We had this for Easter lunch and I have used half a leg of lamb (900g with bone) since there was just 2 of us eating. I have also put cloves in 6 of the pockets where I had the lemon zest, which gave a lovely flavour, and roasted for 1 hour at the recipe's temperature. The meat was delicious and soft, slightly pink in the inside, especially close to the bone, but not bloody at all. Plenty of leftovers for 2 g sandwiches on Easter Monday!

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  • 28 November 2010

    Gabrielle commented on this recipe

    About to try this as it sounds succulent. I'll guess at the amount of garlic but can you please adjust recipe to show how much. Thanks

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  • 22 December 2010

    berbuck commented on this recipe

    Sounds lovely but the instructions a could be better. How much garlic and what do we do with the lemon pieces?

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  • 27 February 2011

    PolyVinylBride rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely brilliant, what an amazing flavour from such simple ingredients. So used to just chucking lamb in a curry but this may be the best way to have lamb by far for me - tried it with a bit of shoulder of lamb on Christmas, it was so wonderfully tender and juicy, the fat on the outside taking on a lovely crispiness which the lemon cuts through to prevent any greasiness... try it and you certainly won't be disappointed!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 2 hrs

Ready in 2 hours 30 mins

Ingredients

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Per serving

375 kcalories, protein 45.7g, carbohydrate 5.6g, fat 19 g, saturated fat 9.1g, fibre 0.9g, salt 0.51 g

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