Leg of Lamb with Green Chermoula, Garlic Yoghurt, Mejaderah & Charred Aubergine

MARINATE THE LAMB

Grate the garlic and lemon zest into a mixing bowl and add the herbs, olive oil, ground cardamom seeds and the white part of the sliced spring onion. Pour the marinade all over the lamb and work it deep into the flesh using your hands. Season generously with salt and black pepper.

Set aside, covered and refrigerated for a minimum of 1 hour, but preferably 4-6 hours or even overnight.

PREPARE THE SAUCES

Take the lamb leg out of the fridge so that it can sit at room temperature an hour or so before you intend to cook it.

Meanwhile, make the sauces. For the chermoula, combine the sliced spring onion greens in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, except the lemon juice and seasoning, and set aside until required. You can make this mix in advance and keep refrigerated until required.

For the garlic yoghurt, combine the yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste. Set aside.

FOR THE MEJADERAH

Heat the olive oil in a shallow frying or sauté pan over medium heat and caramelise the onions until golden and sweetened. The longer the better. Season with salt and black pepper.

Dry-toast the cumin and coriander seeds, star anise and cinnamon quills for a couple of minutes in a saucepan over medium-high heat, until fragrant and just starting to smoke. Add the butter, sweet onions, basmati rice, lentils, turmeric, allspice, bay leaves and a sprinkle of salt. Fry for a further minute or two, stirring to incorporate everything.

Add 1 litre water to the rice and stir. Seal the pan as tightly as possible with cling film. Try to avoid leaving any openings to prevent any steam from escaping.

Reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, allowing the cling film to be sucked in by the vacuum created. Set aside until required.

TO FINISH THE LAMB

Loand and light your EGG and set it to cook directly at 200˚C with a Cast Iron Searing Grid.

Grill the lamb for roughly 10 minutes on both sides, turning regularly, until the internal temperature reaches 55°C for medium rare, or taken higher as per personal preference:

Medium-rare: 55°C Medium: 60°C Well done (if you must): 70°C

Remember that the meat will continue to cook once removed from the heat source, so pull it off just before it reaches the optimum temperature.

Transfer the lamb to a chopping board, cover with tin foil, and rest for half the cooking time (around 10 minutes) while you cook the aubergine.

TO COOK THE AUBERGINE

Brush the aubergine slices on both sides liberally with olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Char the aubergine for roughly 4-5 minutes on each side until well scored and completely soft.

TO SERVE

Thinly slice the lamb across the grain and transfer to a serving platter. Overlap the slices interspersed with the charred aubergine. Flake some salt and black pepper over the meat and drizzle the green charmoula over the entire serving platter.

Serve the lamb and aubergine alongside the mejaderah, accompanied by the garlic yoghurt. A fresh, sharp salad would be a welcome addition to balance the richness of the meat and rice.