John’s marinated, butterflied lamb leg Podere Caporlese style

‘I came across a meat marinade including fish sauce when I was staying with a friend in Umbria (Podere Caporlese is the name of her farmhouse) in 1988. She was a wonderful cook with a fantastic vegetable garden so we ate lots of simple vegetable pasta sauces and not much meat — sometimes pork and occasionally lamb, which wasn’t freely available. When we could buy lamb, my friend made a marinade of garlic, rosemary, fish sauce and olive oil, and left the meat to marinate for a day.’

John May, retail customer

Feeds: 6 | Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus marinating
Cooking time: 20–30 minutes

6 garlic cloves

2 handfuls rosemary leaves

2½ tablespoons fish sauce

150 ml (5 fl oz) olive oil

Moorlands biodynamic Texel butterflied lamb leg (about 1.8–2 kg/4 lb–4 lb 6 oz)

Smashed roasted potatoes and a crisp green salad, to serve

Blend garlic, rosemary, fish sauce and olive oil with a stick blender or in a small food processor to a creamy consistency.

Place lamb in a large non-reactive bowl and spread marinade all over. Cover and refrigerate overnight to marinate.

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and bring lamb to room temperature. Place lamb on a wire rack in a roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes or until browned and cooked to your liking. (Alternatively, cook lamb on a barbecue over high heat for 20–30 minutes.) Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with smashed roasted potatoes and a crisp green salad.