Roast leg of lamb with a watercress and caper crust
Serves: 6, with leftovers
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Roast leg of lamb with a watercress and caper crust
Try something different for Sunday lunch with this show-stopping roast leg of lamb, which is covered with a delicious watercress and caper crust
Serves: 6, with leftovers
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
441Kcal
Fat
22gr
Saturates
10gr
Carbs
10gr
Sugars
5gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
41gr
Salt
0.7gr
Emily Jonzen
Emily Jonzen is a London-based food stylist and recipe writer with almost ten years of experience working on books, magazines, packaging, advertising and television projects.
See more of Emily Jonzen’s recipes
Emily Jonzen
Emily Jonzen is a London-based food stylist and recipe writer with almost ten years of experience working on books, magazines, packaging, advertising and television projects.
See more of Emily Jonzen’s recipes
Ingredients
- a 2kg leg of lamb
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 2 large carrots, halved lengthways
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp English mustard
- 300ml white wine
For the crust
- 60g slightly stale bread
- 2 tbsp capers
- 50g watercress
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- zest of 1 lemon
- 30g butter, melted
Step by step
Get ahead
Get the lamb oven-ready up to 24 hours ahead; cover and keep chilled. Return to room temperature for an hour before cooking
- Take the lamb out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. Remove from the packaging, pat dry and let it come up to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Use a small sharp knife to make slits all over the lamb and insert a slice of garlic into each one. Season the lamb.
- Put the onion and the carrots in a large roasting tin, sit the lamb on top and drizzle over the oil. (See 'get ahead' if preparing in advance.)
- Roast the lamb for 25-30 minutes, until browned. Meanwhile, prepare the crust. Blitz the bread into crumbs in a food processor (or grate coarsely) and tip into a bowl. Pulse the capers and watercress until finely chopped (or chop by hand). Mix with the breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon zest and melted butter.
- Remove the lamb from the oven. Reduce the heat to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Brush the mustard all over the meat and pack the crust over the top and sides. Pour the wine into the tin around the lamb, and add 250ml water as well (avoid wetting the crust).
- Return to the oven for a further 1¼ – 1½ hours for just-pink meat. Keep an eye on the lamb; cover with foil if the crust is getting dark and top up with a little more water if the pan dries out.
- Remove the lamb from the tin and let rest for 10 minutes, before carving. Discard the vegetables and serve the lamb with the roasting juices.
