Barbecued Leg of Lamb with Salsa Verde

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 120 minutes
Servings: 6

Gavin Kaysen, a Minneapolis-based chef and two-time James Beard Award winner, loves to barbecue a leg of lamb when the weather suits being out in the yard. This recipe is the centrepiece of Kaysen’s Easter menu. While the large-format cut takes a couple of hours to cook, you have very little work to do once it’s on the barbecue. When you’re shopping for your lamb, ask for a boneless leg that’s still in one piece. Salsa verde – here the Italian version, flavoured with capers and anchovies – both flavours the lamb while it cooks and serves as a sauce for the finished meat. This vibrantly flavoured sauce takes only a few seconds to make, so keep this recipe handy to use on other barbecued meats and fish, as well as for topping vegetables, sandwiches, pizza – it’s good on pretty much everything

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 Tbs. capers, chopped
2 anchovy fillets
1 small shallot, minced
1 cup (45 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup (20 g) thinly sliced chives
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup (250 ml) salsa verde
1.5 kg boneless leg of lamb
3 Tbs. fine sea salt

Directions:

To make the salsa verde, combine the garlic, capers and anchovies in a mortar and pestle or food processor. Grind or process until a fine paste is formed.
Add the shallot, parsley, chives and vinegar and mix to combine. With one hand, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mortar and pestle or food processor. With the other hand, stir constantly or run the food processor to emulsify the oil. Season with salt and pepper. This makes about 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) salsa verde. You will need 1 cup (250 ml) for the lamb recipe; save the rest for another use.
Rub 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the salsa verde all over the leg of lamb, working it in thoroughly.
To ensure the lamb cooks evenly, fold it or roll it over itself into a uniform rectangle shape. To truss the lamb leg, wrap butcher’s twine around the middle of the lamb and tie a knot. Pull it tight, double-knotting with a square knot. Repeat this trussing process, wrapping each string an inch or so (2-3cm) apart. You should end up with 4 or 5 trusses. Cover the lamb loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Preheat the barbecue to 160°C, concentrating the heat source on one side of the barbecue.
Season the lamb with the fine sea salt on all sides. Place the lamb on the cooler side of the barbecue, cover the barbecue and cook over indirect heat until the internal temperature of the lamb registers 52°C, about 2 hours, turning the lamb over once halfway through cooking.
Transfer the lamb to a wire rack and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a chopping board and thinly slice. Reserve the drippings and pour back over the sliced meat. Serve with the remaining 1/2 cup (125 ml) salsa verde. Serves 6.
Adapted from At Home by Gavin Kaysen (Spoon Thief Publishing, 2023)

Barbecued Leg of Lamb with Salsa Verde