Colm O'Gorman's Sunday Roast: Tandoori Leg of Lamb with Bombay Potatoes

The latest in Colm O'Gorman's series of international twists on Sunday roast favourites

Colm O'Gorman's Tandoori leg of lamb - with Bombay Potatoes

This week, in the second of a short series of new recipes that are a spin on the traditional Sunday roast, I have a beautiful Indian-inspired roast leg of lamb for you to try. 

While this does take a little time to marinade and three hours to slowly roast until it is beautifully soft and tender, it takes very little hands-on time to prepare and cook.

This recipe serves four. If you want to make it for a crowd, use a full leg of lamb and double the quantities for the marinade. Roast potatoes would be lovely with this, but my Bombay potatoes are even better. Add a side of vegetables of your choice.

Colm O'Gorman's Tandoori Leg of Lamb with Bombay Potatoes

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

I serve this with parsnips and carrots that I toss in a splash of olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, and a teaspoon of honey, roasted in my air fryer at 190 Celsius for about twenty minutes.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 4 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 7 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 European/Middle-Eastern

Ingredients

• Tandoori Lamb:

• 1 half leg of lamb, about 1.5kg

• 1tbsp ground coriander

• 1tbsp ground cumin

• 2tsp turmeric powder

• 2tsp chilli powder

• 2tsp garam masala

• 2tsp flaky sea salt

• 1tsp fresh ground black pepper

• 25g fresh ginger root

• 4 cloves garlic

• 200g Greek yoghurt

• Juice of half a lemon

• 2 onions

• Bombay Potatoes:

• 1kg baby new potatoes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 20g butter

• 1 tsp mustard seed

• 1 tsp Cumin Seed

• 3 green cardamon

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 onion

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 red chilli

• 200g cherry tomatoes

• Handful fresh coriander

• Juice of half a lemon

• To serve:

• Fresh coriander, fresh lemon wedges and sliced red chilli.

• Yoghurt and Mint Sauce

• 300ml Greek yoghurt

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 20g fresh mint

• 1 tsp honey

• Juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Start by preparing the lamb. Trim away any excess fat and cut slashes about 2cm crossways into the meat. Next, make the tandoori marinade.

2. Combine the spices, yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger in a bowl, mixing it into a smooth paste. Put the lamb in large casserole or roasting tin and add the marinade. Use your hands to rub the paste all over the meat, working it into the scores, this will help get all those delicious spices into the meat as it slowly roasts. Cover the lamb and place it in the fridge to marinade for at least four hours. You can prepare the lamb the day before you cook and allow it to marinade in the fridge overnight if you wish.

3. When you are ready to cook the lamb, preheat your oven to 160 Celsius. Peel and cut the onions into thick slices and scatter them over the bottom of large cast iron casserole. Place the leg of lamb and the marinade on top of the onions. Pop on the lid and put the dish into the oven. If you do not have a casserole dish, you can use a roasting tray, covered with a double layer of tin foil. Roast for two hours, and then check the lamb. By now a decent quantity of cooking juices and liquid should have developed in the casserole. If it looks a little dry, add 200 ml of water to the casserole, pop the lid back on and roast the lamb for another forty-five minutes.

4. Next, start cooking the potatoes. Boil them in some salted water for fifteen minutes until they are just cooked. While they are boiling, finely chop the onion, peel and grate the garlic and ginger. Wash the red chili and cherry tomatoes. Deseed and chop the chili, cut the tomatoes into quarters. When the potatoes are ready, drain those into a colander.

5. Heat a heavy based frying pan over a high heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter starts to foam, add the cumin and mustard seeds, and the cardamom pods. Lightly bruise the pods to open them before you pop them into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the turmeric, chili, onions, and the garlic. Cook for three minutes and then add the tomatoes and potatoes. Stir everything together to coat the potatoes. Use a potato masher to gently squash, but not mash, the potatoes. Just lightly press them to break the skin and open the potatoes up a little. Remove from the heat and transfer to a roasting tin.

6. When the lamb has had its latest forty-five minutes in the oven, take it out and remove the meat from the casserole dish. Turn the oven up to 200 Celsius. Carefully drain the juices and onions from the casserole dish into a small saucepan, return the lamb to the dish and return it to the oven for fifteen minutes until the crust of marinade on top of the meat starts to char a little and darken.

7. Put the tray of potatoes in the oven at the same time. You will roast the spuds until they are crispy and golden on top.

8. Use a stick blender to blitz the onions and cooking juices into a sauce, adding a little water if you need to thin it out a bit. Add a splash of lemon juice and bring the sauce to a soft boil. Taste and add a little more lemon juice if required.

9. Remove the lamb from the oven and let the meat rest on a board for ten minutes. When the potatoes are ready, remove those from the oven and transfer to a warm serving platter. Drizzle with some fresh lemon juice and scatter a handful of chopped fresh coriander over the top.

10. Make the yoghurt and mint sauce just before you are ready to serve. Wash and finely shred the mint leaves, discarding the stalks. Combine the chopped herbs with all the other ingredients in a bowl. Taste and add more lemon or honey if required.

11. Transfer the lamb to another serving dish, spoon over some of the sauce and scatter with some chopped coriander and thinly sliced chili. Serve with some fresh lemon wedges, more of the tandoori sauce, and the mint and yogurt sauce on the side.