Spiced lamb leg with tahini garlic sauce and flatbreads
This makes a great alternative Easter lunch, instead of the traditional roast. The spicy flavours, fresh yoghurt sauce and homemade flatbreads create a fresh approach for roast lamb.
Ingredients
For the flatbreads
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú Greek-style yoghurt
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú self-raising flour, plus extra if needed
- sea salt
For the lamb
- 1–1.5kg/2lb 4oz–3lb 5oz lamb leg, butterflied and bones removed
- 6 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 3 fat garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for searing
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tahini garlic sauce
- 4 fat garlic cloves, minced
- 8 tbsp tahini
- 200g/7oz Greek-style yoghurt
- 1 lemon, juice only
- lukewarm water, for thinning the sauce
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced into half moons
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced into half moons
- 150g/5½oz long pickled cucumbers in brine, sliced lengthways
- mixed red and green pickled chillies
- 200g/7oz pomegranate seeds
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
Method
It is best to make the flatbreads ahead of the lamb and simply reheat when you need them. To make the dough, mix the yoghurt, flour and a generous amount of salt in a large bowl and bring the dough together, using a little extra flour if needed. Flour a work surface and work the dough for 1 minute, then divide the mixture into six equal balls. Roll out flatbreads that are about 15cm/6in in diameter and about 1cm/½in thick. Preheat a heavy frying pan over a medium heat and dry-fry the breads for 2–3 minutes on each side until browned and mottled all over. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. These can be stored in a sealed container or wrapped in kitchen foil until needed.
Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 20 minutes before marinating. Ensure it is splayed open and as flat as possible so that the meat cooks evenly. If there are any sides with much thicker meat, use a small knife to make incisions to open them up and flatten these sides as evenly as possible.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Combine the remaining lamb ingredients in a bowl to make a marinade and season generously with salt and pepper. Rub the marinade all over the lamb and really work it in. Drizzle a little olive oil into a large frying pan set over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the marinated lamb in the pan with the skin-side facing down. Sear the lamb on all sides until nice and brown. It should have a good crust in about 10 minutes or so. Transfer the lamb to the prepared baking tray and roast for 15–20 minutes until pink and juicy. If you prefer medium or well done, leave it in for a further 5–10 minutes. Once the meat is done, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10–15 minutes covered with kitchen foil.
To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, adding enough lukewarm water to produce a sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Thinly slice the lamb and serve on a large platter with the onions, tomatoes, pickles and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle over the tahini sauce, sprinkle with parsley and tuck the reheated flatbreads around the edges to serve.
Recipe Tips
If you do have time to marinate the lamb overnight then you can do so. But the spices are punchy enough and the joint isn’t so large that you would need to marinate it for any length of time so you can cook the lamb immediately.