Butterflied Lamb with Mint Guacamole

, from Issue #52. September, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Butterflied Lamb with Mint Guacamole

Butterflying the meat gives you lamb with degrees of ‘doneness’: rare where the meat is thicker and medium to well done in the thinner areas. Ditch traditional mint sauce and serve silky smooth mint guacamole for a fresh accompaniment.

Serves: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

Lamb
1 boned and butterflied leg of lamb, about 1.2 kilograms after bone removed
8 halves sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons each ground coriander and paprika
finely grated zest 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil

Guacamole
2 avocados, peeled
juice 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
small handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash of Tabasco sauce
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve
rocket or mixed salad leaves
sliced ripe tomatoes

METHOD

Lamb: Trim the lamb of any large pieces of fat and place in a wide dish.

Put the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine paste. Spread over the lamb, pushing into all the nooks and crannies. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the flat plate of the barbecue to a medium heat.

Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes then turn over.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the lamb and cook for another 10-15 minutes for medium lamb or until cooked to your liking. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your lamb. Transfer to a platter, cover loosely and rest for 10 minutes.

Guacamole: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, adding more Tabasco to taste.

To serve: Slice the lamb thinly across the grain. Serve with the guacamole, salad leaves and tomatoes.