Stuffed lamb leg with Greek beans

This roast lamb recipe champions some of the best-loved classic ingredients from Greece including feta, olives, dill and oregano. The beans are inspired by gigantes plaki (Greek baked beans) and...

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About Recipe
Stuffed lamb leg with Greek beans

This roast lamb recipe champions some of the best-loved classic ingredients from Greece including feta, olives, dill and oregano. The beans are inspired by gigantes plaki (Greek baked beans) and are enriched by the lamb fat they are cooked in.

Ingredients :
  • 1 lamb leg (about 2.5kg before boning), butterflied but with shank bone left in (ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 3 onions, cut into eighths
  • 1 garlic bulb, cloves separated but not peeled
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • Koulouri or simit bread to serve (optional)
  • |100g feta
  • 50g black pitted olives, roughly chopped
  • 50g sun-drenched tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • Small bunch dill, finely chopped, plus extra fronds for garnish
  • Few sprigs oregano, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, zest plus wedges for serving
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 60g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • Small bunch dill, roughly chopped
  • Few sprigs oregano, leaves picked
Directions :

  1. Heat the oven to 220C fan/gas 9. Put the lamb skin-side down on a board, then open it out and season with salt and pepper.

  2. For the stuffing, crumble the feta into a bowl and mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients and plenty of seasoning. Spread the stuffing all over the inside of the lamb, then roll it up and secure with kitchen string (see Know-how). Arrange the onions and garlic in a large roasting tin in a single layer. Halve the zested lemon used for the stuffing and add that to the tin too. Put the lamb on top, season, then roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170C fan/gas 5, add the wine and return to the oven for a further 40-50 minutes; once cooked, transfer the lamb to a board, cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Keep the roasting tin handy.

  3. To make the beans, squeeze out the flesh from the garlic cloves (discarding the skins) back into the roasting tin and crush with the back of a fork, then add the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano and butter beans. Stir well and return to the oven for 30 minutes while the lamb rests. Once the beans are ready, stir most of the fresh herbs through the sauce.

  4. Remove the string from the lamb and slice thickly. Serve on top of the butterbeans with the remaining dill and oregano scattered over to garnish, plus the bread and lemon wedges.

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