People often think lamb should go with mint, but it’s nice to go off piste, as here, with feta, pine nuts, and spinach. A lovely yogurt and cucumber dressing completes this dish. Make sure you sear the saddle on the stovetop before putting it into the oven to kick-start the roasting process and get a well-colored crisp outside in contrast to a perfectly pink inside.
SERVES: 6–8
INGREDIENTS:
- Small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts
- 8 ounces baby spinach, washed
- 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 boned saddle of lamb, about 4 pounds (ask your butcher to bone it for you)
- 1-2 tsp sumac (see page 113), to taste
FOR THE DRESSING:
- ½ large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced into rings
- ⅔ cup plain yogurt
- Small bunch of mint, shredded
- 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (see page 205), to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon, squeeze of juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- SAUTÉ THE ONION AND GARLIC:
- Heat a medium-hot pan with a dash of olive oil.
- Add chopped onion and sliced garlic cloves and sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the pine nuts and cook for about 1 minute until golden.
- Add the spinach and wilt briefly in the pan, tossing to mix well.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the crumbled feta cheese.
- PREPARE THE LAMB:
- Lay the saddle of lamb open on a board, flesh side up.
- Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the sumac.
- Spoon the spinach mixture along the middle of the meat, using the fillets that run down the inside length of the meat to support the sides of the stuffing.
- Roll the meat around the filling and tie at intervals with string.
- Season the outside of the lamb with salt and pepper all over.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight to help it firm up and make it easier to brown.
- ROAST THE LAMB:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Put a roasting pan on the stovetop and heat until hot.
- Add a glug of oil and cook the lamb for 10 minutes until browned all over.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 45–55 minutes, depending on the weight of the lamb and how pink you like it.
- When cooked, set aside to rest.
- MAKE THE DRESSING:
- Meanwhile, mix all the dressing ingredients together and add a little salt and pepper.
- SERVE:
- Serve the rested lamb hot or at room temperature, thickly sliced, with the dressing on the side.
HOW TO STUFF MEAT:
- The secret of any stuffing is to partially cook it first.
- Raw onions and raw garlic will take forever to cook inside the meat.
- If you are not going to be roasting the meat immediately, you must let the stuffing cool before using it.
- When filling the saddle, put extra stuffing at the edges as some will inevitably squeeze out as you roll, and don’t tie it too tightly.
