Easter feast

Growing up in England, Easter always heralded the onset of spring with its watery blue skies, crowds of golden daffodils and vibrant green grass emerging from a winter prison of frost and snow.

In celebration of the season, Easter Sunday lunch was always a grand affair. Family and friends gathered for the traditional roast which, without exception, was a mouth-watering leg of lamb accompanied by mint sauce and all the trimmings.

These days, I live in the southern hemisphere, where Easter brings a welcome chill to the air after a sweltering summer, and Sydney’s spectacular blue skies provide a beautiful backdrop to the browns, reds and golds of autumn.

Australian chef Bill Granger’s slow-cooked Greek lamb is a favourite in our family and a perfect celebration dish whatever the season. Its long, slow cooking time fills the house with delightful aromas and the meat is so tender it virtually melts in your mouth.

It does take a very long time to cook, but the end result is worth the wait. We usually leave out the olives and serve the dish with a crisp Greek salad or extra roasted veggies, depending on the weather.

Enjoy
Deborah

Ingredients
2kg leg of lamb on the bone, trimmed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Small handful fresh oregano leaves
Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon, quartered
3 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large potatoes (such as desiree), peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup large green olives

Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Put the lamb in a large roasting tin and season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the oregano and pour over the lemon juice and wine. Drizzle with the olive oil and roast for 20 minutes, or until the lamb is browned.

Add 125 ml (½ cup) of water to the roasting tin and cover the tin with foil. Reduce the oven to 160°C and roast the lamb for another 1½ hours. Arrange the potato and lemon quarters around the lamb and return to the oven for another 2 hours, turning the potatoes at least once during this time and basting the lamb with the pan juices. The lamb should be very tender.

Remove the lamb from the tin and set aside to rest before slicing. Increase the oven to 220°C. Add the olives to the tin with the potatoes and return to the oven for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden. Serve with the lamb, with some pan juices spooned over the top.