Mediterranean Lamb and a nice little Chianti

Lamb – you don’t get much more ‘Easter’ than that, do you? But rather than serve with the traditional Sunday roast accompaniments, I find that an old fashioned ratatouille is the perfect match at this time of year. In fact, you can quite happily serve this all through summer – just butterfly a whole leg of lamb and throw it on the barbeque – it’s amazing.

The Mediterranean flavours of rosemary/garlic-infused lamb work brilliantly with the robust flavours of the chargrilled vegetables, (more) garlic, and fragrant thyme of the ratatouille. The tomatoes are a lovely foil for the rich flavours of the meat, providing an uplifting freshness and zing to the dish.

What’s great about this is that the roast new potatoes take the same amount of time as the ratatouille, and don’t even need a par-boil, so it really is a no-brainer.

Wine match

I chose a Chianti Classico, Castello di Fonterutoli, Chianti Classico 2012 for this dish and it really worked. The juicy acidity, dark and red fruit flavours and smooth tannins created a match made in heaven. Wine Spectator describes the wine as "harmonious and approachable" with a “silky texture" and "fine length” - I'd have to agree.

Lamb is quite a fatty meat and needs some acidity to cut through, and this really did the job. The herb and spice layers of this Chianti brought out the rosemary, thyme and bay in the dishes, while hints of orange, rhubarb and plum in this red worked well with the fruitiness of the Mediterranean vegetables.

What you’ll need:

Bottle of Castello di Fonterutoli, Chianti Classico 2012 and a nice glass

Lamb - Joint of your choice

Tip - I cooked a 750g boned leg for around 55mins and then let it rest for around 20mins - this achieved a medium rare joint. As it was quite small (enough for 3 to 4) I’d advise using a thermometer to make sure you don’t overcook the lamb – the BBC cooking guide is quite handy too.

The best results will always be with a larger bone-in joint, especially for a family-sized group. Plus the bone can be used for stock afterwards, making a great curry (recipe to come!).

Also...

- garlic and rosemary
- glass of white wine / same of water
- salt and pepper

For the Ratatouille – makes enough for 4

This is based on Nigel Slater’s recipe, except I chargrilled / griddled the veggies (again, ideal for a summer BBQ)

- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 aubergine, thickly sliced
- 1 courgette, thickly sliced
- 1 red pepper, de-seeded and quartered
- 3 plum tomatoes, sliced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 handful basil leaves

Potatoes

- new potatoes
- garlic – 1 garlic per person, unpeeled
- fresh bay leaf
- sprigs rosemary

Method:

Put the oven on, pre-heating to 180°C

Lamb

Take a sharp knife and make a few incisions into the lamb

Take a few sprigs of rosemary and a sliced garlic and push these into the holes. Season the lamb all over with plenty of salt and pepper and give it a rub of olive oil.

Place the lamb into the preheated oven in a high sided roasting tray with a small glass of white wine and a small glass of water poured around the meat. This can be topped up with water from time to time and will form a light jus/gravy at the end.

When roasted to perfection (see above for cooking times and weights), take out of the oven and allow to rest wrapped in foil on a warmed plate for 20 mins.

The juices from the pan can be reduced down for a powerful jus/gravy to pour over the meat just before serving.

Ratatouille 

While the lamb is in the oven, or just before, sweat the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil until they are soft, add sliced garlic cloves and, once soft, add to a deep baking dish.

Griddle the other veg (except tomatoes) until they have grill lines on each side, and layer in the baking dish. Top with the sliced plum tomatoes and season with salt, black pepper and thyme.

Bake at 180°C for about 45 minutes until soft and tender. Stir gently with a handful of torn basil leaves before serving.

Potatoes

You can always do traditional roasties, but as it's spring it’s nice to use some seasonal produce, so I used new potatoes. New potatoes do not need par-boiling so you can throw them into a pan with a tablespoon of hot olive oil whenever you’re ready – just pop them in the oven for 45 mins at 180°C at the same time as the ratatouille. When cooked, squeeze out the cooked garlic from its skin and mix in with the potatoes.

By Chris Penwarden