Harissa-spiced slow-roast lamb

Name: Harissa-spiced slow-roast lamb
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 45 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 tbsp harissa paste (we like Belazu rose harissa paste); Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; Small bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stalks chopped; 2.2-3kg easy-carve leg of lamb (see Know-how); For the salad; 1 cucumber, halved, deseeded and sliced; 300g mixed radishes, quartered (or sliced then quartered if using the larger watermelon radishes); 100g whole skin-on almonds, toasted in a dry pan; Small bunch fresh mint, chopped; Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped; 2 tbsp argan oil (see Know-how); 2 tsp runny honey; Juice 1 lemon; 125g pomegranate seeds; Roast potatoes to serve

By: delicious. food team

Published: 2 Sep 21
Updated: 9 Oct 24

Test kitchen approved

Our easy harissa-spiced slow roast lamb is served with a mint, almond and radish salad. A crowd-pleasing spring or summer roast.

Find more Sunday lunch ideas in our summer roast recipes collection, and see our great collection of recipes that use harissa.

Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 4½ hours

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Ingredients

2 tbsp harissa paste (we like Belazu rose harissa paste)
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
Small bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stalks chopped
2.2-3kg easy-carve leg of lamb (see Know-how)

For the salad

1 cucumber, halved, deseeded and sliced
300g mixed radishes, quartered (or sliced then quartered if using the larger watermelon radishes)
100g whole skin-on almonds, toasted in a dry pan
Small bunch fresh mint, chopped
Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp argan oil (see Know-how)
2 tsp runny honey
Juice 1 lemon
125g pomegranate seeds
Roast potatoes to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Mix together the harissa pesto or paste, lemon zest and juice, ground spices, fresh coriander and plenty of black pepper in a bowl.
Put the lamb in a roasting tin and rub with the harissa marinade (see Make Ahead). Roast for 30 minutes, uncovered, then pour 300ml water around the lamb and cover the tin tightly with 2 sheets of foil. Roast for 4 hours, basting with the cooking juices once or twice, until tender.
Transfer the lamb to a chopping board and rest for 20-30 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Skim any surface fat off the pan juices, then taste and keep warm (or simmer briskly for 5-10 minutes to intensify the flavour if it’s not punchy enough).
Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Put the cucumber, radishes and almonds in a serving bowl and toss with most of the herbs. Drizzle with the argan oil, honey and lemon juice along with plenty of salt, and toss well. Scatter over the remaining herbs and pomegranate seeds. Serve the lamb, carved into slices, with the salad and crispy roast potatoes.

Recipe from April 2019 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 505kcals
Fat: 29.8g (9.3g saturated)
Protein: 52.7g
Carbohydrates: 5.3g (4.8g sugars)
Fibre: 2.5g
Salt: 0.5g

delicious. tips

Marinate the lamb, covered in the fridge, up to 2 days ahead of roasting.
Easy-carve leg of lamb has had the leg boned out, then tied back into the joint for flavour. Ask your butcher to do it for you or look in larger supermarkets.

Argan oil comes from Morocco and is made from the crushed fruit of the argan tree; it has a distinctive, nutty flavour. If you can’t find it, use olive oil instead.
It’s impossible to beat red rioja with roast lamb, and a younger ‘crianza’ style will suit this dish best.

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