1.5kg butterflied leg of lamb (from a 1.9kg leg), or 2 x 650g boneless butterflied lamb leg joints, trimmed
200g natural yogurt
1½ tbsp ground cumin
½ tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½-1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp fine sea salt
For the beetroot
1x 500g bunch beetroot, trimmed, peeled and sliced as thinly as possible
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
4 tbsp pomegranate molasses
150g natural yogurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp chopped dill
½ tsp sumac (optional)
For the tabbouleh
200g couscous or bulgur wheat
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 preserved lemons
200g pomegranate seeds
100g each mint and coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
50g flaked almonds, toasted
lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
Marinate the lamb and the beetroot the day before. Put the lamb in a non-metallic dish and make small incisions all over with a sharp knife. Mix the yogurt with the spices and salt and spread all over the lamb, massaging it in well. Cover and chill overnight.
Put the sliced beetroot in a wide, shallow dish. Pour over the olive oil and pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with salt. Toss together, cover and chill overnight, turning once or twice during marinating to make sure that all the slices are evenly coated.
Next day preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Line a roasting tin with foil, add a grill rack and sit the lamb on it as flat as you can, well basted with the marinade from the dish. Roast for 30 minutes for pink or 40 minutes for well done, then heat the grill to high and grill the top of the lamb for 5-8 minutes until lightly charred. Remove, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest.
While the lamb is roasting, cook the couscous or bulgur according to pack instructions, transfer to a serving dish and mix with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, and seasoning. Cut the preserved lemons into quarters lengthways, discard the flesh inside and finely slice the peel – add this to the grains and cool slightly. Mix the pomegranate seeds, herbs and almonds through with the remaining olive oil, season to taste.
Remove the beetroot from its juices and arrange on a platter. Spoon over 5-6 tablespoons of the marinating juices. Mix the yogurt with the garlic and lemon juice, then drizzle around a third of it on top of the beetroot and put the rest in a bowl for people to help themselves to. Scatter over the dill and sumac then finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Slice the lamb quite thinly and arrange on a platter with the lemon wedges. Take to the table with the tabbouleh, beetroot and yogurt. Serve family-style, letting everyone help themselves.
Leave a Reply