Roasted lamb leg with Macadamia & Kawakawa Pesto

Preheat oven to 180°C (conventional bake).

Prepare the lamb roast, remove from fridge and allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Place the whole leg in a large roasting dish. Use a sharp knife to score the skin and fat layer, not too deep, cutting across one way, then across diagonally to create a diamond pattern on top.  

Place the macadamias in a food processor and blitz quickly to form a rough crumb. Add the kawakawa leaves, half the bag of Baby Spinach Leaves and garlic, and pulse again until finely chopped. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add olive oil and then blend again, until combined.

Spoon the pesto mix onto the top of the meat and pat down to push into the cut grooves on the top. Cover the lamb with tin foil and cook in oven for 1 hour.

Remove the foil after an hour and return to oven. Cooking for another 40 minutes – 1 hour, depending on size of the lamb leg.

Make the stuffing mix, use the same food processor bowl, and blitz the bread slices until forms a crumb. Add the remaining Baby Spinach Leaves, onion, garlic, celery, thyme and blitz. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the egg, and pulse to combine. If mix is still dry, and won’t bind together, use an extra egg.

Using wet hands, roll the mix into small balls, and place in the roasting dish with the lamb for about 40 minutes, before end of cooking time.

Prepare the accompanying vegetables, by peeling or cutting into small pieces. Place on an oven tray lined with foil, or if possible fit into the roasting dish with the lamb. Sprinkle with some of the dried horopito or use ground black pepper. Remove meat from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving

BABY SPINACH

Creamy, smooth, and very nutritious! Toss through another salad, add a handful to a smoothie or cook with many other dishes.

• wb_sunny Available All Year Round
• grass Gisborne
• auto_awesome Washed & Ready To Eat
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• 2.7kg lamb or mutton leg roast

Kawakawa & Macadamia Pesto:

• ½ bag LeaderBrand Baby Spinach Leaves
• 300g macadamia nuts
• 150g kawakawa leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp each of salt and ground pepper
• 1 tsp horopito pepper, optional
• ¼ cup olive oil

Spinach Stuffing Balls:

• ½ bag LeaderBrand Baby Spinach Leaves
• 8 slices rēwena bread or other bread of your choice
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
• 1-2 eggs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Serve with roasted kūmara, yams, potatoes or squash