Spicy Roast Lamb with Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 minutes  
Marinating Time: 24 hours  
Cooking Time: 1 hour 45 minutes   
Total time: 26 hours    
Servings: 6-7

This Spicy Roast Lamb with Vegetables is tender, juicy, and full of incredible flavors, seasoned with fresh herbs. This fancy dinner is so easy to prepare, making it the perfect appetizer to serve at your dinner party or to serve any night of the week, because we all deserve a fancy meal. Add some potatoes and carrots and you have a complete meal in a pan that will impress.

Ingredients:

 FOR THE MARINADE:

• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 hot pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2-3 lamb legs (about 3-4 kg)

FOR THE ROAST:

• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 bunches of finely chopped parsley
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, of which
• 1 tablespoon is finely chopped and the rest is coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 fennel bulbs, quartered
• 8 small onions, quartered
• 8 carrots, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups white wine, plus extra for the sauce
• 1 cup water or more
• 2-3 tablespoons butter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Blend all the marinade ingredients in a blender. Using a knife, make 25 to 30 cuts in the thighs and insert garlic slices. Rub the meat with the marinade, place it in a sealable plastic bag, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight or for 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Spread the onions and carrots in a thin layer on a baking tray. Add the wine and enough water to almost cover the vegetables.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush the fennel with oil by hand.
4. When you take the baking tray out of the oven, push the onions and carrots to the edges to make room for the meat in the center. Fill the empty space with the coarsely chopped parsley and rosemary. Place the leg on top and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Mix together the finely chopped parsley and rosemary and press them onto the surface of the meat. Place the fennel around the meat. Put the baking dish in the oven and lower the temperature to 180°C.
6. During cooking, add extra wine and water if necessary to prevent the vegetables from drying out. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or as long as you like, depending on your taste.
7. Remove the meat, cover it with double aluminum foil, and leave it on a warm platter with vegetables for 10 minutes.
8. Place the pan on the stove, pour in 1 1/2 cups of wine and use a spatula to scrape the delicious bits off the sides.
9. Boil for 4-5 minutes to evaporate the excess liquid.
10. Add 2-3 tablespoons of butter, if desired, stir and serve the sauce immediately with the meat. 

Tips & Notes:

• Cover the lamb with parchment paper and then aluminum foil for the first 45 minutes of cooking.
• Add a few lemon slices to the pan; they add flavor and retain more moisture.
• Aromatic herbs such as rosemary, oregano, mint, or thyme go well with the lamb marinade. As for spices, cumin goes well with pepper.
• Garlic also goes well with lamb. It is one of the basic aromatic ingredients used in the marinade for roast lamb. You can use finely chopped or crushed garlic.
• After coating the lamb with the marinade, let it absorb the flavors for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before roasting.
• Let the lamb rest before cutting it, to keep the juices in the meat.
• A general rule of thumb for cooking time is 30 minutes per 1 kg of meat. However, you can cook the lamb at a lower temperature for longer.