serves
4
prep
20 minutes
cook
5:25 hours
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
5:25
hours
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 220 g (1 cup) white sugar
- 200 g (⅔ cup) table salt
- 2 cinnamon quills
- 2 star anise
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 black peppercorns
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 2 kg lamb leg, trimmed, shank removed
- 2 sebago potatoes, thickly sliced
- blanched asparagus, baby corn, sautéed silverbeet and chillies, to serve
Huantia paste
- 4 dried aji panca (see Note) or 2 dried ancho chillies (see Note)
- 4 dried aji mirasol (see Note) or 1 banana chilli
- 250 ml (1 cup) olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
As the brining of the lamb takes 4 hours and the marinating 2 hours, you may want to start this recipe a day ahead.
DRINK 2010 Siesta Pinot Noir, Tupungato, Argentina
Instructions
Place sugar, salt, spices, bay leaves and 2.5 litres water in a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Immerse lamb in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Drain, reserving 80 ml strained brine.
Meanwhile, to make paste, soften chillies in boiling water for 3 minutes, then set aside.
Place oil and garlic in a saucepan over low heat and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add onions, remove pan from heat and stand for 10 minutes or until oil cools.
Blend onion mixture with chillies to a paste. Spread half over lamb, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Reserve remaining paste.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Place potatoes in a roasting pan and top with lamb. Cover with baking paper, then foil and roast, basting lamb halfway, for 4 hours. Increase heat to 200°C. Roast for a further 1 hour or until lamb is tender. Rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make gravy, bring reserved brine and the remaining paste to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Serve lamb with vegetables, chillies and gravy.
Note
Photography by Alan Benson.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
