Garlic and anchovy roast lamb

Garlic and anchovy lamb with yams and parsnips. Photo / Babiche Martens

Serves 2-4 (Serve with pinot)

1 lamb leg roast - 400g
4 anchovy fillets, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 onions, sliced
4 stalks of rosemary
olive oil
Salt and pepper
3-4 yams per person depending on size
2 parsnips

Gravy
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tbs flour
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 cups stock
salt and pepper

1 Preheat oven to 200C. Using the point of a sharp knife make pockets in the lamb and insert pieces of anchovy and garlic.

2 Use the sliced onions and rosemary to create a bed on which to sit the lamb in a roasting dish. Drizzle the lamb with olive oil and season well. Roast for 30 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, put the yams into a roasting dish. Peel and slice the parsnips into sticks. Add to the yams. Toss both in olive oil and season well. Also roast for 30 minutes.

4 Let the meat and vegetables rest while making the gravy. Remove the onions and rosemary. Over a medium heat, deglaze the roasting dish with the red wine then sprinkle over the flour. Stir for a couple of minutes while scraping any remains from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste. Stir then add the stock, season, and let gently simmer until the gravy is smooth. If too thick, add a little more wine and stock.

5 Serve the lamb sliced, with the parsnips and yams. Add a steamed green vegetable and pour over the hot gravy.