Bob Hart’s recipe for the perfect Australia Day Greek-style lamb

BUTTERFLIED LAMB LEG A LA GREQUE

Serves 4-6

You will need:

1 lamb leg, butterflied

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Cracked pepper

Greek oregano

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 lemon, squeezed

150-200g good, Greek feta, crumbled

1 large loaf Turkish bread, warmed

1-2 cups tzatziki

Note: quantities will depend on the weight of the leg.

 

Method

To marinade:

Open out your butterflied leg, outer side down, and ensure the meat is roughly of an even thickness. (In most cases, your butcher will take care of  this; in some cases, lamb a la greque will already be available as a finished, packaged product.)

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper, a generous sprinkle of Greek oregano, garlic and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Distribute the crumbled feta over both sides of the lamb, finish with more oil and place in a large, re-sealable plastic bag or in a large non-reactive bowl which you can fit in your fridge, and allow to marinate overnight. The next day, remove the leg from the fridge around 2 hours before you intend to cook it, and unroll it on a cutting board.

 

To cook:

Heat the grill to just over 200°C. Cook the leg, flat, on the hot, clean and oiled grill, for up to 20 minutes a side, depending on weight. Use your meat thermometer and don’t let that internal temperature rise above 55°C before taking it off. Rest the meat for at least 20 minutes, loosely tented in foil and in a warm (never hot!) spot, before serving.

 

To serve:

Slice across the grain and drape slices over warmed Turkish bread. Finish with a drizzle of any juices that have accumulated during resting and carving, and finish with a dollop of tzatziki.

Note: Much of the feta will char deliciously as the lamb cooks, and some may even fall off the lamb and through the grill. This will simply ensure your backyard smells better than it does on most Australia Days!