Smokey Spring Lamb with Flagolet beans

Now Spring is properly here I’ve started really playing with a whole new bunch of  sunny, bright, bbq flavours and searching the markets and supermarkets for what the new season has brought to the store and brought down in price! Last week I stumbled across some bargain British lamb leg, and knew that it would make a wonderful Spring dinner.

Lamb is a delicious red meat that can be cooked in so many wonderful ways, yet I think no matter what you do it always retains a unique sweet flavour and tender texture (hopefully). For this recipe, I tried to pair the boneless leg of spring lamb with spicey and warm flavours including this fabulous La Chinata smoked paprika  (a staple that everyone should have in their store cupboard) and my new favourite, pomegranate mollasses, which had the added bonus of making the marinade char and blacken when cooked.

The strong flavours of the paprika and mollasses meant also meant that I didn’t have to marinate the meat for very long, in fact an hour was all I had time for after work so that’s what I did. I also made sure I didn’t lose one drop of juice from the lamb, so I cooked the flagolet beans (which are great at absorbing flavours) broad beans and peas in the same tin the meat was roasted in.

Recipe

Serves 2 people and needs approx 500g boneless leg of lamb per person.

For the Lamb Marinade:

• 2 tsps smoked paprika
• 4 tbsps of olive oil
• 1 tsp of pomegranate mollasses
• 1 tbsps of dried oregano
• Grate of nutmeg
• Rosemary sprigs

For the Flagolet beans:

• 1 tin of flagolet beans
• A handful of frozen broadbeans
• A handful of frozen peas
• Half a glass of white wine
• A handful of fresh mint and chives
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 crushed garlic cloves

Method

1. Mix together the marinade ingredients (except the rosemary) and rub all over the lamb until it’s covered.
2. Place ontop of rosemary sprigs and refrigerate for an hour. More time will make the marinade stronger so leave for longer if you’re flexible.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 220c and roast the lamb according to the instructions (approx 40mins).
4. Take the lamb out, put on a plate with the rosemary and leave to sit whilst you prepare the beans.
5. Place your roasting tin on the hob on a low heat and add the wine, scraping all of the leftover lamb and marinade from the tin whilst the wine bubbles.
6. Turn down the heat, add the beans and the peas and crushed garlic. Stir for two minutes and turn down the heat.
7. Add mint, chives, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Carve the lamb and pour all the juices from your plate and board into the beans.
9. Plate up and top with toasted pine nuts and a sprig of mint. Serve with some cous-cous and a dollop of humous if you fancy.

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