Keep Things Simple This Easter Sunday With Church's Perfect Roast Lamb

Easter is a wonderful time of year. The kids are off school, spring has sprung and Christmas is a distant memory. What better time to get the family together to celebrate Easter? To help you pull off the ultimate family dinner, we have put together some of our favourite spring recipes using seasonal ingredients for you to try!

The Main Event

Nothing says Easter like spring lamb! It’s the perfect star of your Sunday roast and goes amazingly with seasonal produce. This simple recipe takes hardly any prep time, so it’s perfect for entertaining!

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Ingredients

• 1 whole leg of lamb
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
• Approx 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
2. In a bowl, mix together the rosemary, garlic and olive oil to form a marinade. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and rub the marinade into the meat, making sure it is all coated.
3. Cook the lamb for 1 hour 30 minutes. If you like your lamb pink, remove 15 minutes earlier.
4. Once the lamb is cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Roast Potatoes

It wouldn’t be a roast dinner without roast potatoes, right? Follow our easy recipe for perfect roast potatoes!

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Ingredients

• 2.5kg Maris Piper potatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp goose fat
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• Sea salt
• White wine vinegar
• Olive oil

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Method

1. Preheat the oven to  180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into halves, or quarters if the potatoes are large. Rinse well.
3. Par-boil the potatoes for around 7-8 minutes until soft. Drain the potatoes into a colander and give them a shake to rough up the edges.
4. Place the goose fat and 1 tbsp of olive oil into a large baking tray. Heat through in the oven, and once hot, add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Roll them around to make sure they are all covered.
5. Gently crush the garlic cloves and add to the tray along with the rosemary and thyme.
6. Place the potatoes into the oven and roast until crispy and golden. Using a spray bottle, give the potatoes a light spray of the white wine vinegar about halfway through!

Sides

When thinking of sides to compliment the lamb, try and make the most of seasonal produce such as Brussels sprouts, parsnips and sprouting broccoli. That’s right: Brussels aren’t just for Christmas!

We tried this recipe at Christmas and it went down a treat with everyone! So here’s our Brussels with a twist.

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Ingredients

• 1kg Brussels sprouts
• 100g Pancetta, cut into 2cm strips
• 5 tbsp of grated parmesan

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas 7.
2. Trim and half the Brussels and place on a  baking tray. Put into the oven for 15 minutes.
3. While the Brussels are cooking, in a separate pan cook the pancetta until crisp.
4. After 15 minutes remove the Brussels from the oven and sprinkle the pancetta over the top, followed by the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

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We hope that we have given you all the inspiration you need for your Easter roast!

If you need any help or further advice on cooking your meats, don’t be afraid to ask us.

For special requests, please get in touch via our website www.churchsbutchers.co.uk or find us on social media:

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