Moroccan-Style Butterflied Leg of Lamb

Hubby wanted to try butterflied leg of lamb. Problem is neither of us have ever cooked with a boneless lamb's leg. I said if we do it, the leg must be filled with an abundance of flavour. He knew what that meant - Moroccan!

I then did what I usually do - research a great Moroccan recipe. I found one, but the spice mix wasn't enough, so I amended it (I know - what a surprise!). The key is the marination. Overnight is best, but if you're short of time, the meat needs at least 2 hours of marination, and it needs to be kept AWAY from the fridge. So make sure if you leave the meat out, it is fully covered and it is left somewhere cool. If the meat has come to room temp, then place it in the fridge until you want to cook it. Before cooking it, make sure the meat comes up to room temperature.

Finally, make sure you let the meat rest after cooking. This will allow the meat to still continue to cook, but it will round out the flavours of the spices. This has to be one of the best ways a leg of lamb can be cooked, other than my other leg of lamb recipe!

Ingredients

1 - 2kg leg of lamb, butterflied
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon Ras El-Hanout
1 teaspoon Harissa
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
5 garlic cloves, crushed
Zest and juice of a lemon
Salt & pepper

Coriander Yogurt Sauce
Handful of coriander leaves
200-300g natural yogurt

Method

In a bowl, add oil, spices, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and a good amount of pepper and mix.
Place the butterflied lamb in a large shallow dish. Spoon over the marinade. Using your hands, rub the marinade all over the meat, covering both sides of the butterflied lamb.
Cover loosely with foil or cling film and leave out to marinate for at least 2 hrs, or overnight in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place lamb on a rack and tray and place in oven. Turn occasionally.
Once cooked, remove from oven. Transfer meat to a large plate and cover with foil. Let meat rest for 15 mins.
Once rested, place meat on a chopping board and cut into thick slices.
Serve meat with coriander sauce and balsamic-roasted carrot, pinenut and couscous salad.

Method for Coriander Yogurt Sauce

Add yogurt and coriander leaves into a bowl and mix. Refrigerate.