Aunt Bessie's Easter Roast Lamb Recipe

Preparation time
'
Cooking time
'
Nr of servings
4

Aunt Bessie's Easter Roast Lamb Recipe

The prospect of making an entire Easter dinner from scratch can be a daunting one, especially if you’re planning on serving lots of people. What with the lamb to cook and rest, plus the gravy and veggies to sort, there are so many parts to making an Easter roast  it can all feel more than a little stressful. 

To ease some of the pressure, our traditional Easter lamb  recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare. With Aunt Bessie’s quick and easy crispy roast potatoes, carrot and swede mash, honey roast parsnips and Yorkshire puddings, you can cut out the faff and focus on cooking your leg of lamb  to perfection. 

 
nation's favourite    1 of 5 a day
Preparation time
'
Cooking time
'
Nr of servings
4

Ingredients

LAMB -
Leg of lamb weighing 2 ½ kg / 5lb 8oz
1 
garlic bulb
1 
bunch rosemary
1 
tablespoon
 
of vegetable oil
2 
carrots, cut into large chunks
1 
onion, cut into quarters
1 
glass red wine (about 150ml)
1.2 
litres
 
beef or lamb stock
VEGETABLES -
 
(4 or 5 potatoes per person)
Aunt Bessie's Carrot & Swede Mash pack
 
(50g cooked per person)
 
(1-2 per person)
Birds Eye Peas
 
(25g cooked per person)

Our method

  1. 1. Prepare the lamb seasoning 

    Peel and finely slice 4 garlic cloves, then take your rosemary bunch, and pick off small sprigs. Using a sharp knife, make at least 30 small incisions all over the lamb, then push the garlic slices and rosemary into the incisions. 

  2. 2. Preparing leg of lamb in advance

    If you’re preparing your leg of lamb in advance, cover the meat well with tinfoil, and refrigerate. Be sure to give it ample time to reach room temperature before putting it in the oven, (an hour or so should do it) as this will make sure the meat is evenly cooked.

  3. 3. Preheat the oven

    Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / gas 5. This may seem like a small step, however giving your oven time to reach the right temperature to cook lamb is vital to reducing cooking time, and ensuring the proper level of doneness.

  4. 4. Brown the lamb

    Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until it’s lightly spitting. Fry the lamb in the oil until the outside is brown all over, to ensure a crispy skin before roasting.

  5. 5. Roast the lamb

    Scatter the carrot, onion, remaining garlic and rosemary in a large roasting tin. Pour in the wine and stock, then transfer the browned lamb into the tin, placed on top of the veg. Roast for around 1 hour and 45 minutes, turning the lamb over halfway through. Once cooked, remove the lamb from the oven, cover it in foil, and leave it to rest in a warm place for roughly 30 minutes.

  6. Make the gravy

    While the lamb is resting, it’s time to make the gravy. Pour the tin of stock into a saucepan through a sieve, removing all the vegetables and herbs. Reduce the heat if you want to concentrate the flavour, and skim off any fat that comes to the surface.

  7. Cook the vegetables and sides

    Remove the Aunt Bessie’s potatoes, parsnips and Yorkshires from their packaging and place them onto a baking tray. Cook according to the instructions on the packet, making sure to leave enough time while the lamb rests under the foil. For more information on how to cook Aunt Bessie’s products, have a look at our guides to making Yorkshire Puddings and roast potatoes. 

    Finally, once the vegetables are done remove them with the lamb from the oven. Carve the lamb and serve with the gravy and Aunt Bessie’s products.