Join Ben Tish in creating the classic spring lamb with a twist! Salt crust baking is a great way to cook lamb – using Maldon Salt for the crust will allow the juices to become trapped, whilst also perfuming the meat without making it overly salty and enhancing the flavour.
You’ll not get a more tender result than this method of cooking your lamb which makes a great addition to your Sunday Roast. Accompanying the lamb are these beautiful, buttery jersey royals which are at their prime in Spring and make a great addition to the roasted lamb.
- Mix Maldon Salt with the egg whites to form a thick “paste”. Add some water to loosen if its too thick, you’ll need to be able to roughly mould around the lamb.
- Heat the oven to 160°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4
- Season the lamb leg and then seal in a large sauté pan to brown on all sides. Turn off the heat and lay the rosemary stalks on top of the leg.
- Spoon some of the Maldon Salt mix into a roasting tin and place the lamb on top. Nestle around the garlic and then mould the rest of the salt mix around the lamb to seal but leave the end bones protruding out.
- Place the lamb in the oven and slowly cook for 2.5 – 3 hours until the meat is soft and tender with an internal temp of around 65c. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 20 minutes before cracking the crust open and carefully discarding. The lamb should come away from the bone very easily.
- Whilst the lamb is cooking, boil the potatoes until just tender and then drain and cool before slitting lengthwise halfway through the middle and inserting a bay leaf. Place the potatoes on a roasting tin, season with Maldon Salt and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. We find this the best way to cook jersey royals because it creates them to have a nice, crispy finish. Reserve and keep warm.
- Serve chunks of the lamb alongside the bay potatoes and some garlicky aioli. Spring greens tossed in olive oil would also be a good addition. Baked lamb also pairs well with seasonal vegetables roasted in goose fat or vegetable oil, and sprinkled with Maldon Salt and pepper of course!
Interested in Salt Baking?
We have many other recipes including our delicious Salt Baked Sea Bass which showcases our to create a tender, juicy sea bass using the salt crust baking method.
What does salt crusting do?
Cooking lamb with a salt crust will lock in the natural juices of the meat. This is because when the lamb starts to cook in the oven, steam is then produced within the crust keeping it succulent and tender.
As the steam builds, some of the salt from the crust and natural oils of the meat will start to dissolve. This will then gently seep back into the lamb, giving it a rich, flavoursome taste.
You may worry that it seems like a lot of salt for this dish, however most of the crust is removed after cooking and only the correct amount of salt will season through the leg of lamb.
Should lamb be cooked in foil when roasting?
There’s no need to cover your leg of lamb with foil when it is roasting in the oven. You want a nice, slow roast to this meat so it can be enriched with flavour and covered in succulent juices. However, you may want to cover it with foil while it rests after cooking in order to retain the juices and keep it nice and warm before serving.
Do you enjoy cooking with lamb? We’ve also teamed up with chef Adam Byatt to create the delectable Buttery Lamb Leg with Weber. You may also be interested in our Lamb Chops with Parsley Aioli recipe in which shows you how to keep them tender and rich in taste!
We LOVE seeing your creations! Make sure to tag us on Instagram using #maldonsalt.
