Eating lamb roast on Easter Sunday is a truly British tradition! We decided to stuff a boneless leg of lamb with all things we love for our Easter centrepiece! This recipe shows you how to make a small Easter roast that serves 3-4 – but if you are cooking for a crowd the recipe can also be easily adjusted. Read on to see how to make our Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb!
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What is Easter all about at Somebody Feed Seb? Easter for us is not about chocolate. It’s about eggs, that we colour using onion skins to create little pieces of art. It’s about cooking a new lamb dish every year. And it’s about playing board games with the family with a big pot of tea (or wine) and some baked treats on the table. Overall, Easter for us is a holiday to relax and reflect.
How to Make our Herby Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb?
Day 1: Marinate the Butterflied Leg of Lamb
Approximately 24 hours before cooking your lamb, marinate the meat. Place the lamb flat in a large bowl skin side down. Using a sharp knife, deeply slash the flesh a few times, but don’t go through the skin.
Pour the white wine and oil all over. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Massage the meat gently for a few minutes. Roll it up with everything inside it and pop it into a large zip lock bag. Then pour the remaining marinade into the bag and seal. Alternatively, place your rolled-up leg of lamb in an airtight box. Leave the meat to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Day 2:
How to Make Apricot Stuffing for Lamb?
Lightly toast the pecans (or walnuts) in a dry frying pan, until starting to brown and smell all nutty. Leave the nuts to cool down slightly, then chop them up roughly. Nuts will add extra texture to your lamb stuffing.
Finely chop the parsley, sage and rosemary. Cut the dried apricots into small pieces. Do the same with pecans (or walnuts). Finely chop the onion. Then mix the herbs, onion, nuts and breadcrumbs together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add white wine and olive oil and mix well.
Stuff the Leg of Lamb and Roast:
Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Take the marinated lamb out of the fridge. Spread the apricot and herb stuffing on the flesh side of the lamb leg. Roll it to seal the stuffing. Then tie the lamb joint with the butcher’s twine (baker’s string).
Place the lamb joint in a roasting tray seam-side down. Pour the rest of the marinade over the lamb together with the onions, garlic and herbs. Drizzle the top with some extra olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160° C Fan and cook for another 15-20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 70°C when cooked.
Take the lamb roast out of the oven and cover with a large sheet of foil. Let it rest for approx. 15 minutes before carving.
People Also Asked:
Whilst we included parsley, sage and rosemary in this recipe, we feel that there are a number of other herbs that go equally well with lamb. Experiment with whatever you have and make different variations with thyme, mint and oregano as well.
My father-in-law taught me how to tie a roast, but if in doubt, I always watch How to Tie a Roast with a String Video to remind myself of the proper technique.
In this recipe, there is no need to cover the leg of lamb with foil. The roast cooks at a higher temperature for 30 minutes only (then at a lower temperature for another 15-20), so it simply doesn’t have time to burn.
Best Side Dishes for Stuffed Leg of Lamb:
If you are making a lamb roast for Easter dinner this year, make sure your side dishes impress just as much as the centrepiece. We think that potatoes are mandatory with any lamb roast, and some of our favourite potato side dishes include:
Likewise, no Easter lamb roast would be complete without flavoursome veggies. Some of our go-to recipes are below:
Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Equipment
- Small Roasting Tray
Ingredients
- 550 g boneless (butterflied) leg of lamb
For the Marinade:
- 25 ml olive oil
- 50 ml dry white wine
- 1 garlic cloves sliced into 4
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ red onion cut into wedges
- 1 rosemary sprig
- salt & pepper
For the Stuffing:
- 10 g parsley finely chopped
- 5 g sage finely chopped
- 5 g rosemary finely chopped
- 20 g breadcrumbs
- 30 g dried apricots chopped
- ½ red onion finely chopped
- 20 g walnuts or pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Day 1:
- Approx. 24 hours before cooking your lamb, marinate the meat. Place the lamb flat in a large bowl/ plate skin side down. Using a sharp knife, deeply slash the flesh a few times, but don't go through the skin.
- Pour the white wine and oil all over. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Roll it up with everything inside and pop it into a large zip lock bag. Then pour the remaining marinade into the bag and seal. Alternatively, pop it into an airtight box. Leave the lamb to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Day 2:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Mix the chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, apricots, onions and pecans/walnuts in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add a tbsp of white wine and oil and mix well.
- Take the marinated lamb out of the fridge. Spread the herby apricot stuffing on the flesh-side of the lamb leg. Roll it to seal the stuffing. Then tie the lamb joint with the butcher's twine (baker's string).
- Place the lamb joint in a roasting tray seam side down. Pour the rest of the marinade over the lamb together with the onions, garlic and herbs. Drizzle the top with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160° C Fan and cook for another 15-20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 70°C.
- Take the lamb roast out of the oven and cover with a large sheet of foil. Let it rest for approx 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
Nutrition
I always serve lamb on Easter Sunday too – it’s also an Irish Easter tradition. Love this recipe and the apricot stuffing is perfect for a leg of lamb. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
You are most welcome! So glad you liked it!
What a beautiful lamb! We usually only spit roast lamb, but this is a truly amazing and delicious recipe to make at home for any occasion!
Thanks, Dijana! Really glad you enjoyed it! 🙂