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.
Our method
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
