Lemon thyme and fennel butterflied leg of lamb

Name: Lemon thyme and fennel butterflied leg of lamb
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 2.5kg good-quality leg of lamb, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this for you), trimmed of fat; 6 tbsp olive oil; 2 large garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 6 lemon thyme sprigs, leaves picked; Pared zest and juice of 1 lemon; 1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes; ½ tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns; Chunky chips, to serve

Published: 31 May 08
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

This butterflied leg of lamb recipe is fantastic as a summer Sunday lunch. The marinade for this barbecued dish will work well with any type of red meat, poultry or fish.

Serves 6
Hands on time 5 mins, 25-30 mins barbecue time, plus 1-24 hours marinating and 5 mins resting

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Ingredients

2.5kg good-quality leg of lamb, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this for you), trimmed of fat
6 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
6 lemon thyme sprigs, leaves picked
Pared zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
½ tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
Chunky chips, to serve

Method

Cut and open up any thicker areas of meat so that it is all about 4-5cm thick. Mix all the other ingredients (apart from the chips) together in a large shallow dish, add the lamb and coat well. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or chill and marinate for up to 24 hours.
If using a charcoal barbecue, light about 30 minutes before you want to cook. For a gas barbecue, preheat 10 minutes beforehand.
Lift the lamb out of the dish, let the excess oily marinade drain away, then lay on the barbecue. Cook over a direct high heat for 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally and moving away from any flare-ups, until well-coloured but pink and juicy in the middle. Test by making a cut in the thickest part and check if cooked to your liking or test by pushing in a meat thermometer – it should read 60°C. Cook for longer if you like.
Transfer the lamb to a board, cover and rest for 5 minutes. Carve into thick slices and serve with chunky chips.

Recipe from June 2008 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 783kcals
Fat: 43.1g (2.2g saturated)
Protein: 71.2g
Carbohydrates: 30.5g (0.7g sugars)
Salt: 0.9g

delicious. tips

‘Butterflied’ lamb is so-called because when the bone is removed from the leg and the meat is opened out, the shape resembles a butterfly’s wings. Cooking temperature: direct high heat.

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Lemon thyme and fennel butterflied leg of lamb

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