Slow roast leg of lamb with tomatoes

After five hours in the oven, the lamb will literally fall off the bone, and the aromas that fill your kitchen will have you coming back to this gorgeous roast again and again.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 kg leg of lamb
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, for drizzling
• salt flakes and black pepper, to taste
• 375 ml (1½ cups) verjuice
• 1 kg seasonal vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
• 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves
• ½ bunch thyme
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1 sprig fresh bay leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 150°C. Place lamb in a deep baking dish.

Combine tomato paste, crushed garlic, olive oil, salt flakes and black pepper in a small bowl, and brush over the lamb. Pour verjuice around lamb.

Place a piece of baking paper over lamb and cover with a double layer of foil, sealing well to keep in the juices. Roast for 4 hours.

Remove foil and baking paper and arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, around lamb in baking dish. Scatter over garlic cloves and herbs, and drizzle with extra olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Return to oven uncovered and continue to bake for 1 hour or until tomatoes have roasted and lamb is literally falling off the bone.

Pull the lamb from the bone and serve with the roast tomatoes and pan juices.

Photography by Brett Stevens. Styling by Justine Poole. Art Direction by Anne Marie Cummins.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.