Weeping Harissa Lamb with Boulangere Potatoes

As the weather has turned a bit colder and damper - it seems a good time for a warming roast.

This is an amalgamation of a few of my favourite things, and I think it works really well.

The finished dish does have a bit of heat - nothing too spicy - but a background of heat from the harissa.

The juices from the lamb, and some of the harissa, weep into the potatoes, making for a really rich dish. You will see that no fat is added to the potatoes when the dish is assembled.

All the work is done at the beginning - so its a good dish to do if you are entertaining.

I would serve with something green - just to cut through - as the lamb and the potatoes are quite rich.

I marinated the lamb for a few hours in the harissa - but this probably isn't essential.

For the potatoes it is definitely best to use a mandolin - remember to use the guard!!

1 leg of lamb (2.5 kg ish)

1/2 small can harissa paste 

4 large potatoes - peeled and sliced thinly (use a mandolin)

3 large onions - sliced thinly 

salt and pepper

500 ml chicken stock

1 Make some fine cuts in the leg of lamb. Rub the harissa all over the lamb, and leave to marinate for a couple of hours (if possible)

2 Preheat the oven to 200c.

3 Layer the potatoes and onions in an oven proof dish - which has to be about the same size as the leg of lamb. Season each layer generously with salt and pepper, and finish with a layer of potatoes.

4 Pour over the stock and press down lightly.

5 Put the potatoes in the bottom of the oven, and place the lamb on a small wire rack on the shelf above so that any juices from the lamb will weep into the potatoes. (keeping the lamb on a small rack makes it easier to handle)

6 Leave to roast for 1 1/2 hours. Every half hour press the potatoes down into the cooking liquid.

7 Remove the lamb when cooked to your liking, and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes before carving.

Butterfly leg of lamb with harissa on roasted new potatoes and onions

This was the amalgamation of a few of my favourite recipes - and my favourite ingredient at the time - Harissa Paste.
The lamb is slow roasted - which I absolutely love - either with leg or shoulder - it really is my favourite way to roast lamb - though it can mean getting up pretty early in the morning to start cooking lunch!
The weights are very flexible, and the style of cooking is very forgiving - so no need to panic if you, or your guests - are running late....

Ingredients:
Leg of lamb 2.5kg - boned and butterflied (keep the bone)
10 banana shallots or 20 round shallots
1kg new potatoes
1 x 135g can harissa ( I used Harissa Du Cap Bon Tunisie - it has a distinctive yellow tin)
1 bulb garlic
60g cold butter cubed
red wine - 1 - 2 glasses to taste
lemon
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Rub the meat all over with the harissa - use the whole tin, and leave to marinade for an hour or two.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 / 350 / Gas 4.
3. Boil the new potatoes for 10 minutes
4. Peel the shallots
5. Place the bone from the lamb in a deep roasting tray - big enough to hold the meat butterflied.
6. Surround the bone with the potatoes and shallots.
7. Lay the marinated meat over the potatoes and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and drain off any excess fat.
9. Add the garlic cloves, reduce the heat to 120 / 250 / Gas 1, cover the lamb with foil, and return to the oven for 4 1/2 hours.
10. Take out the lamb to rest, take out the vegetables and keep warm.
11. Deglaze the roasting dish with red wine - this will create a wonderful gravy, you have the juices and fat from the meat, the spice from the harissa - and the wine. I took some time to reduce this - and you have to continually taste to get the flavour right adding wine, lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Then add the cold butter to give a wonderful sheen to the sauce.
12. To serve you simply slice the lamb, at this point it is incredibly tender - so it is a cross between slicing and tearing.
13. Serve with the potatoes, onions, garlic and the sauce.
14. I served with green beans, as I think you do need something green to cut through the richness.

I really hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!
Left overs are great in a pilaf or biriani