With a bit of forward planning this butterflied leg of lamb is a delicious, unfussy way of making the most of a barbecue. The meat needs to sit in a marinade for a few hours - hopefully for at least 4 hours - hence the planning. Once it goes on to the hot barbecue it is cooked in about 30 minutes. I usually do the marinade around lunch time if it is for an evening meal.
A potato salad with a good strong garlic
mayonnaise goes really well with this.
If I am cooking for 4 I use a half leg of lamb - which boned out usually comes to about 1 kilo however the marinade will do for a whole leg (about 2 kilos) if you are catering for more. Ask your butcher to bone and butterfly the leg of lamb. Butterflying merely involves cutting it so it will lay flat.
The exact quantities of fresh herbs does not need to be exact- say a good handful of fresh rosemary, slightly crushed, a good proportion of mint and top up with what you have - parsley, oregano and basil.
Lamb- boned butterflied leg or half leg ( 1 or 2 kilos)( 2-4.5lbs)
The marinade:
3/4 cup fresh herbs- rosemary, mint, parsley, oregano, basil
6 garlic crushed garlic cloves
good pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Ground black pepper
3/4 cup red wine (use 1 cup if doing a whole leg)
3/4 cup soy sauce (use 1 cup if doing a whole leg)
Combine all the marinade ingredients. Place the lamb in a glass or ceramic dish- laying it flat. Pour the marinade over, cover and put in the fridge. It is a good idea to turn the lamb over periodically so if you are passing the fridge do so- it will benefit from it but I reckon a couple of times is enough.
When it is BBQ time- heat the coals and when hot drain the meat and keep the marinade. Put the meat onto the grill and cook for about 15 minutes each side while basting with the marinade. ( I know most BBQ-ers do not think sealing the meat on both sides, at the start of cooking, is the done thing however I think it works here). The lamb should be cooked after about 30 minutes but check and allow a little more time just in case. Rest for no longer than 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
