A #MiniRoast recipe in collaboration with Simply Beef & Lamb.
Lamb is something I never tried until I moved to the UK. For some reason lamb just wasn’t part of our rural Canadian diet, in fact, we rarely saw fields of sheep – cattle, yes, but not sheep.
Now, lamb is a regular part of our diet. In fact, I have two whole hill lambs in my freezer right now. One I bought directly from a local crofter (yay for low food miles!). The second was a surprise gift from a neighbour; one of his hill lambs reared on the heather covered hills just outside our village.
Best neighbours ever!
Not everyone has access to locally reared meat though. The majority of UK consumers, I should think, have to rely on their local supermarket and butcher to obtain their meat.
As meat eaters I think we should all be aware of where our meat comes from. Beef and lamb isn’t just a faceless ingredient we unwrap after bringing it home from the supermarket, it was a living animal at one time and it is our responsibility to ensure that these animals have been treated to the highest standard throughout life and slaughter.
I was recently invited along to our local abattoir to discuss all things lamb.
It was an eye opening experience for me. At my local abattoir they take time with each individual animal. They are brought into the building in groups with the peers that they were raised with slowly, so that they are not afraid or alarmed. They’re surrounding in their friends and family and their final moments are over swiftly. I know first hand that the animals are kept well in the fields around my house, so to know that the animals are treated well at the end of their lives too is reassuring. A chef was also visiting, and the lambs you see above were being assessed for quality before being shipped south to be served in the restaurant.
We can’t all personally assess our meat at the abattoir, but we can rest assured we are buying farm assured quality meat if we look out for the Red Tractor logo on packs in supermarkets or in select butchers. All beef and lamb products carrying the Red Tractor logo can be traced back to the farms the livestock came from and you can be assured that the farmers and suppliers who produce beef and lamb meet comprehensive standards covering hygiene, safety, environmental protection and animal welfare at every stage from farm to fork.
Beef and lamb roasts don’t need to be reserved for Sunday lunches and special occasions. There’s no reason why we can’t enjoy a quick and easy midweek mini roast. Just look out for smaller cuts of beef or lamb in your supermarket, or ask for a 400 – 450 gram cut from your local butchers. These can be prepared and ready to eat in less than an hour, as I’ve demonstrated with this rather fantastic pistachio and orange crusted lamb shoulder recipe from Simply Beef & Lamb.
This midweek mini roast recipe is incredibly simple to make. Simply score the flesh of your meat cut, brush with oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. The pistachio and orange crust ingredients take only seconds to blitz up in my mini food processor, but you could always chop them finely by hand. Press the topping into the meat, pop in a roasting tin and roast for 35 minutes (for medium doneness).
This delicious roast can be served with jewelled couscous and flatbread. To save time I made my flatbread dough in my bread machine and it’s that good, and quick to make, that I’m blogging the recipe soon. As for the jewelled couscous, this one I tend to just make up as I go along, depending on the ingredients I happen to have on hand.
Simply boil a kettle and measure out 100 grams of dry couscous into a large bowl. Sprinkle over half a chicken stock cube and pour over 150 grams of boiling water. Cover with a small plate and leave it to sit until the lamb is cooked.
Meanwhile, chop some raw almonds, dried apricots and a handful of fresh parsley. When the lamb is ready, take the plate off the top of the couscous, fluff the couscous, drizzle in a bit of olive oil and add the chopped nuts and fruit. I sometimes throw in a handful of raisins instead of apricots, or, in this case, some dried barberries and some orange zest. Garnish with extra dried parsley and some pomegranate seeds for an extra special taste.
A quick word here about doneness. We all like our roasts cooked a certain way – some prefer it rare, others prefer it well done. I’m a medium lady, myself. I would highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer as this takes the guesswork out of cooking beef and lamb.
There’s nothing worse when you’re a well done fan to cut into a freshly roasted beef joint only to find it’s only medium rare, despite following the cooking times. Ovens all vary (especially temperamental fan ovens like mine!) so a meat thermometer is essential. The lamb you see photographed here was cooked to 71 C (medium).
Also – don’t forget to take your roast out of the fridge beforehand and bring it to room temperature before you begin.
For everything you need to know about beef and lamb, more recipe ideas and information about Red Tractor beef and lamb, please visit simplybeefandlamb.co.uk
Pistachio and Orange Crusted Mini Roast Lamb Shoulder
Ingredients
for the lamb
- 400 grams lamb shoulder
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
for the pistachio orange crust
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 50 grams pistachio nuts unroasted and shelled
- 1 medium orange zest only
- 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 handful fresh mint
Instructions
- Preheat oven to Gas mark 4-5, 180-190°C, 350-375°F.
- Bring your lamb shoulder to room temperature and slash across the top.
- Brush with oil and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To prepare the crust, place the remaining ingredients in a small food processor and process until finely ground, or chop everything up as fine as you can.
- Press the pistachio and orange crust into the top of the lamb shoulder and place in a medium sized roasting tin.
- Roast for 35-40 minutes (for medium), or 60 minutes for well done. Cover with foil during cooking if you find the crust is browning too quickly.
- Alternatively, check the internal temperature of the meat for your desired level of doneness: 60°C degrees for rare, 70°C for medium and 80°C for well done.
- Remove the lamb from the oven, cover with foil and leave for at least 10 minutes, or 20 if you have the time, before serving.
- Serve with jewelled couscous and flatbread.
Leftovers? Fry a small sliced onion and leftover cubed meat in a bit of sunflower oil until heated through, toss in any leftover couscous and heat through. Serve with a big dollop of plain natural yogurt!
Dislosure: this is a paid recipe post in collaboration with Simply Beef and Lamb. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
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Take a photo and tag @tangoraindrop or use the hashtag #elizabethskitchendiary and share on Instagram and Twitter. It would make my day to see your creations!
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Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Nayna Kanabar says
I love the idea of the pistachio crust. I love using nuts in cooking.
Rony Jahid says
Your photo just speechless, I always searching something new dishes for make my family on special occasions, Really different look this lamb, so sweet.
Jeanne Horak-Druiff says
Oh my…. That looks utterly fabulous Elizabeth! You are brave to visit the abbatoir – I am not sure I could but good to know that the end of the animals’ lives is as good as can be hoped. The roast looks glorious though – love the flavours in the crust!
Kavey says
I adore lamb, and the flavours of pistachio and orange just make this a must cook for me!
Angela Milnes says
This does look so tasty and I’m about to go out for dinner and it’s made me even more hungry. The pistachios look great!
Francesca says
I love roast lamb its my fave!!! I agree it shouldn’t just be for Sunday lunch!!
NOM NOM Boris says
This is an awesome recipe, I love the pistachio and orange crust rub. It would make a great addition to any meat dish. I will have to try it on the chicken I normally cook. How do you keep the rub from sliding off the meat if it’s small? Would wrapping it in tin foil make it better?
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
I’ve always been nervous making lamb! But this crust looks so friggin good I think its time I get over my fear!!
Aish Padihari says
I cook lamb a lot – a lot. I’m definitely going to try this recipe.
Stacy says
What a nice post and gorgeous photos too! We also have good access to local lamb, it’s a shame I don’t care for it! But my husband loves it so sometimes I indulge him, haha. Lovely recipe, thanks
Kelly says
Your photos are gorgeous! I know my husband would love this – the pistachio crust sounds fantastic!
J @ Bless Her Heart Y'all says
That outer crust looks so amazing! And what a juicy roast! I am drooling over here!
Notmyyearoff says
I saw this on your Instagram and it looks absolutely delicious. I really love a good roast!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I really love the sound of that pistachio crust – I bet you could use it in all kinds of ways. I very rarely use orange in my cooking but it’s such a lovely flavour!
Nikki says
This sounds delicious! Pistachios are one of my favourite nuts i wold never have thought to use them as part of a crust!
Rhiannon D'Averc says
I’m glad that you took the time to find out where your meat comes from, even if you don’t explain much here for your readers. Perhaps you could go into what you learned that makes you confident it was all done ethically.
Elizabeth says
Very good point. I have amended to include some of this detail.
Nicole Glover says
Firstly your pictures are just gorgeous!… That lamb looks so delicious, like you could just eat it off the screen 🙂 I miss eating curried lamb from back home. Might try your recipe as something new 🙂
Dot says
Wow your pictures are lovely
Making me so hungry
I have to give this a try someday
Dot says
Wow that looks.amazingly delicious. I.will.have to give this recipe a try and hope it comes out as good as yours
Lucy Parissi says
If I could lick the screen I would. It looks just amazing. Perfectly cooked and wonderful photos. I love cooking with lamb. Pinned!
Emma @ Supper in the suburbs says
Wow what a feast this looks fantastic. Unfortunately we don’t have a local butcher other than Mr Asda….so it’s hard to source good quality local meat. I do however rather fortunately work near Smithfields Meat Market in London so on social occasions I will source my meat from there. Personally I’d rather eat less meat than cheap imported meat. I’m really impressed that you went to the abbatoir to see the whole process. A lot of people would be far too squeamish! Still it looks like it was well worth it. A fantastic cut of meat and a stunning feast! Amazing post 🙂 that’s for sharing xxx
Jen says
I love the idea of a mini roast, the main reason I don’t cook a Sunday roast very often is the time it takes, a small piece of lamb would be much easier. Adore the colour of that pistachio crust, beautiful 😀
Natasha Mairs says
As a vegetarian this doesn’t sound nice and I hate pistachios too. But on the other hand I think this would be my husbands favourite meal, two of his favourite things are lamb and pistachios nuts. I will have to show him this recipe as he likes cooking is is quite a good cook too
Fiona Maclean says
this looks absolutely gorgeous Elizabeth. I love slightly sweet flavours with lamb and I suspect the pistachio adds a great ‘crunch’
kate says
I’m sending this to my Mother in Law who loves lamb!
Janette@CulinaryGinger says
You have access to the best lamb and I would eat it all the time. The crust looks so delicious, I must give this a try.
Platter Talk says
What a great post and recipe. The information and pictures a great, the lamb is cooked to a perfect temp. (for me)
Just beautiful!
Summer says
A lovely recipe♥
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
These photos are gorgeous! Anything is better with pistachios right?? Love this!
Lisa @garlicandzest.com says
This is an absolutely gorgeous dish! The pistachio crust looks out of this world and your photography is stunning!
Ali @ Home & Plate says
I am a huge fan of lamb and the addition of pistachios and orange must bring out the lambs incredible flavor. THis would be perfect for any Christmas table. Delicious.
Michelle Twin Mum says
Fantastic receipe, I can’t wait to try this out. Mich x