Nordic lamb leg with warm potato and dill salad

Think of a Scandi leg of lamb this Christmas

Serves

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 45 mins

Put away the mint sauce, we’re heading north. This Nordic-inspired leg of lamb is a proper flavour bomb, rubbed in a mix of juniper, coriander, mustard and brown sugar, then roasted until golden and juicy. It’s the kind of dish that makes your house smell like a Scandi forest lodge... in the best way. And don’t skip the pickled red onions, they’re zingy little gems that cut through the richness like a sharp Viking axe. The warm potato salad? Full of buttery goodness, sharp mustard, fresh dill and a bit of onion bite.

Kirsten McCaffrey

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Ingredients

For the lamb

1 Quality Mark lamb leg
around 2kg trimmed
4 garlic cloves
sliced
2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 Tbsp Taste Lab Game On seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
4 sprigs fresh rosemaryi
or thyme

Potato and dill salad

800g waxy potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
1 red onion
finely diced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 bunch fresh dill
roughly chopped

To serve

Lightly pickled onions

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Poke holes all over the lamb and stuff each little hole with a slice of garlic.

Mix mustard, seasoning, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar together in the bowl.

Spread generously over the leg of lamb.

Lay the rosemary sprigs in the bottom of the dish.

Place lamb on a roasting tray. Roast for 1 hr 15–1 hr 30 mins for medium-rare or use our temperature guide at the bottom.

Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 15 mins before carving.

Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and cut into chunks.

In a large pan, heat olive oil and butter. Add diced onion and cook until softened.

Stir in mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and season with salt and pepper.

Add the potatoes and gently toss through the onion mix.

Remove from the heat, stir through the dill and serve topped with lightly pickled onions.

Slice the lamb and serve alongside the warm potato salad and pickled red onions. A sprinkle of extra fresh dill on top brings everything together.

Pro tips:

Score the lamb a little to get that marinade right in there
If you can’t use Taste Lab Game on seasoning, replace with 3 tsp juniper berries, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp of pepper. Toast and then grind into a fine mix before using.
Crush your juniper and coriander with the bottom of a heavy mug if you don't have a mortar and pestle.
Not a fan of dill? Fresh Italian parsley is lovely in the potato salad too.