Roast Leg of Lamb with Barley, Apricot and Mint
Mop up all that rosy red goodness with the juicy, satisfying barley and apricot stuffing, and roast to a juicy perfection with fresh mint.
Ingredients
- 4 lb boned leg of lamb
- 2 oz pot barley
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1/2 pint lamb stock or barley water
- Fresh mint sprigs for garnish
for the stuffing
- 1 large onion
- 3 oz mushrooms
- 3 oz dried apricots
- 4 tablespoons fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wipe boned lamb inside and out and leave to one side. Wash the barley thoroughly in a sieve under running water, then cook in boiling water for about 45 minutes, until just tender.
- To make the stuffing, roughly chop the onion, mushrooms, dried apricots and mint. Heat the oil over a moderate heat and saute the onion and the mushrooms for 5 minutes until soft. Take off heat, stir in apricots and mint, and season to taste.
- Reserving the barley cooking water, if you are using this instead of lamb stock, drain barley and stir into stuffing mixture.
- Fill leg of lamb with stuffing and close with skewers or string, either by hand or with a trussing or darning needle. Weigh the lamb to calculate Cooking time, allowing 30 minutes per 1 lb (450 g) for well done, 20-25 minutes for pink to medium.
- Place the meat in a roasting tin - and cover with foil if cooking a well-done joint, basting occasionally. Remove from the tin and leave to stand in a warm place for 10 minutes before carving.
- For gravy, mix arrowroot with 1 tablespoon cold water, add to pan juices with barley water or stock. Cook until thick, strain into sauceboat and serve.
Notes
Oven : Preheat to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4),
Calories: 265 kcal
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Protein: 32 g
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 91 mg
Sodium: 134 mg
Potassium: 637 mg
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 7 g
Vitamin A: 491 IU
Vitamin C: 2 mg
Calcium: 27 mg
Iron: 3 mg