Cumin roasted lamb with baked eggplant and pumpkin

Ingredients

1½ kg easy carve lamb leg
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium eggplant cut into 3 cm cubes
600 g peeled and seeded pumpkin, cut into 3 cm pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp warm honey
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
couscous or boiled baby potatoes to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place lamb in a roasting dish and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cumin seeds. Roast for 1 hour for rare, 1 hour and 15 minutes for medium, or 1½ hours for well done.

2. Toss eggplant and pumpkin in oil and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with the warm honey. Roast in the oven with the lamb for 40 minutes or until golden.

3. Remove lamb, cover loosely, and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the eggplant and pumpkin scattered with the feta cheese. Accompany with couscous or new potatoes.

Tips

Suggested roasting times per 500g for lamb: Lamb loin (boned and rolled), leg or shoulder (bone-in), easy carve leg or shoulder. Cook at 180ºC. Rare 20-25 min, Medium 25-30 min, Well done 30-35 min. 

Judging your roast’s degree of doneness using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature for: Rare – 55-60ºC, Medium rare – 60-65ºC, Medium – 65-70ºC, Medium well – 70-75ºC, Well done – 75ºC.

You can also use tongs to test the roast’s doneness. Gently prod or squeeze the roast – rare is very soft, medium rare is soft, medium is springy but soft, medium well is firm and well done is very firm.

Roasts need to rest for about 10 to 20 minutes before carving. This gives the juices in the meat a chance to redistribute, giving a moister and more tender result.

--Ian