Gordon Ramsay's Moroccan Spiced Boneless Leg of Lamb

I know that there are a lot of meat recipes being done here as of late at Bistro 164. And I know we may seem to be coming across as a bit hypocritical since we have professed (at least to ourselves) to try to limit our meat intake and focus our energy on preparing healthy vegetarian meals. But the lamb is sooooo good that we can't resist it! And to be honest, through the week we do actually manage to eat mainly vegetarian (sometimes even vegan), enjoying our fair share of fish, lentils, beans, greens, quinoa etc. But on the weekends, sometimes it's no holds barred baby. And that's ok. We will never be completely vegetarian, we love our meat too damn much. But what we can promise you is that we will endeavour to make ethical, humane choices when we do purchase meat. Yes it can be more expensive to make this choice...but by eating vegetarian throughout the week (beans are pretty darn cheap!) you can afford to buy quality meat, not to mention the long term benefits to the environment and to the livelihood of the local farmers who farm with a conscience.  

I will get down of my soap box now and get back to how totally amazing this recipe is. And sweet baby jesus it is awesome. I've made this recipe twice now- I LOVE IT SO MUCH (that I have to yell it) that I thought this would be the perfect way to ring in 2017. It's super easy to make (rest assured I will only make super easy recipes here at Bistro164) and the taste is almost beyond words....but I will do my best to explain. When searching for leg of lamb recipes you will come across the standard rubs calling for mustard, bread crumbs, rosemary. Good but it's been all done before. This is nothing like those recipes. This particular blend of spices creates a taste sensation that has both sweetness and a bit of heat (the amount of heat depends on how much cayenne you like, I'm a chicken so I toned that part down.) It was kinda like a eureka moment when the sous chef and I tasted it for the first time...the heavens opened up, a big ray of sunshine pierced through the clouds, the angels began to sing...and we're not even religious. At all. How is that for an explanation??? And that was just the lamb. We can't forget the meat sidekick: the veggies roasting along side the lamb drizzled in honey. Sweet perfection. Add on the citrus vinaigrette and you are over the top on taste. So that is why I thought it would be a perfect dish to enjoy on the very first day of 2017. How did I do? Is your mouth watering yet? Think I know what I'm having for lunch today. Mmmmm leftovers. Happy New Year from Bistro164!

Gordon Ramsay's Moroccan Spiced Leg of Lamb

get the original recipe here: for the video version or for the written version

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb (I've done both boneless and bone-in with this recipe. Boneless is easier for carving and will cook a little bit faster but either works- just personal preference)

Spice Rub

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp cumin seeds (original calls for fennel seeds which I don't have so I substituted)

1/2- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (original recipe states about 1/2 tbsp- that's a bit too hot for me so I modified)

1/2 tbsp ground cloves

salt and pepper

3-4 cinnamon sticks

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

olive oil

3-4 tbsps of honey (I didn't measure it, just poured some on)

Veggies

2-3 celery sticks, roughly diced

2-3 carrots, roughly diced

1 onion, roughly diced 

The second time I made this recipe I also added 1/2 a diced leek, a handful of sliced mushrooms, a handful of baby carrots (instead of the whole carrots) and a handful of whole baby potatoes.

Vinaigrette

2 tbps mustard (I used Dijon with seeds)

2 tbsps olive oil

zest and juice from 1 lime (I didn't have any limes so I used a lemon instead-no problemo!)

Directions

Preheat your oven to around 300-350 F (see my comments below on cooking temps and times.)

Prepare your spice rub in a pan and mix together well. Take your leg of lamb and slice 3-4 holes in to it with a knife. Shove the cinnamon sticks and sprigs of fresh thyme into the holes that you've created. Rub the spice mix all over the lamb.

In a large pan, add in a splash of olive oil and heat to medium-high. Add in your veggies and drizzle some honey over top of them. Saute for about 5 minutes then add your lamb on top. Add a splash of olive oil on top of the lamb and sear the sides of the lamb. Place the lamb and the veggies in to the oven. Cooking times and temperatures can vary: basically you want the internal temp of the lamb to be around 135 F when you are done, depending on how well done (or not) you like your meat. I have a new convection oven that I am getting used to: I pre heated mine to 350 F and cooked the meat (1.66 kg of bone-in) for 20-30 minutes then dropped the temperature to 300 F and cooked for another hour. I let it rest on a cutting board, covered with foil, for 15 minutes before carving. I like my meat rare and this temp and time seemed to work perfectly but you may need to modify your approach.

While your lamb is resting comfortably, prepare the vinaigrette. Mix the mustard, olive oil, zest and juice together in a small bowl. The first time I made this recipe I used a lime but the second time I had to substitute in a lemon. Both worked just fine. Slice up your meat and drizzle the vinaigrette over top. Serve with your honeyed veggies on the side. So delicious!!!!!