Tangy Roast Lamb Print E-mail

Spring lamb roasts beautifully in a microwave oven. Leg is a tender cut and, cooked carefully, it is juicy, moist and full of flavour. Shoulder joints taste just as good, though contain slightly more fat and take a few minutes more to cook and tenderise. The acidic marmalade added to this recipe not only helps to tenderise the lamb during cooking but also gives a tang to the meat and sauce. 

1-1.5kg leg of spring lambImage
2 tbsp marmalade, warmed
1 onion, sliced
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp prepared mint sauce
1 tbsp marmalade (with lots of shreds)
1 tsp cornflour

Brush the lamb with the warmed marmalade and place in an oven-roasting bag. Set this in an ovenproof dish. Add the onion and sprigs of mint to the bag. Seal and cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Gently turn the meat over and continue to cook on MEDIUM for 25 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer or sharp knife into the centre of the meat - the juices should run mostly clear. If using a meat thermometer, the temperature should reach 65ºC. This meat is now cooked medium. For well done, cook on MEDIUM for a further 10 minutes to raise the internal temperature to 70ºC. The juices should now run clear when pierced with a knife.

Carefully remove the meat from the cooking bag, wrap loosely in foil and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, drain the juices from the bag into a small ovenproof bowl. Allow the fat to rise to the surface and skim off. Stir the mint sauce, additional marmalade and cornflour (blended with a little cold water) into the juices. Cook the sauce on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 1 minute until the liquid boils and thickens.

Serve the sauce as an accompaniment to the lamb, with a little poured over the meat.
 
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