Grilled Lamb Leg Spiedini with Flatbreads and Harissa-ish Oil
I’ve cooked many a lamb leg in my day. Lamb leg ‘à la ficelle’ is a bit of a fixture in my professional cooking life. This is where you hang a partially boned leg of lamb by a string in front of an open fire in a hearth. The heat slowly turns the lamb leg so you get beautiful even, smoke-kissed cooking. I do not think most people have open fireplaces in their hearths these days, but if you do, that is my absolute favourite way of cooking a leg of lamb. My second favourite way is this: small chunks, diced up, marinated and grilled over charcoal. Ask your butcher for a piece with a good fat cap on it. The rump is a good place to start.
I like to serve it with what I call harissa-ish oil. It’s a mixture of cumin, coriander and chilli blended with olive oil. A classic harissa is made by soaking and puréeing dried chillies with ground coriander, garlic and tomato, so yes, this is not classic, but it’s delicious nonetheless, and far easier to make.
Serve with some of my Yoghurt and spelt flatbreads and perhaps some yoghurt and lemon for a little bit of acidity.
Ingredients 11
1 kg lamb leg, boneless, fatty
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
4 g thyme leaves
4 g oregano leaves, fresh
yoghurt and spelt flatbreads, to serve
yoghurt, see my yoghurt recipe, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve
Harissa Ish Oil
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 garlic clove, small
2 tbsp Aleppo chilli flakes
180 ml olive oil
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Method 7
To make the harissa-ish oil, toast the and in a dry frying pan until they are warm and aromatic.
Combine the toasted spices, , , and into a blender and blitz on high speed until the spices are crushed and well combined. Set aside. This could be done well in advance and kept in the fridge.
Dice your into 2 cm (¾ in) pieces and combine with all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and leave to marinate overnight, or for at least a few hours.
Set up a charcoal grill and get the coals white hot.
Thread your pieces onto either metal or bamboo skewers (remember to soak them first if using bamboo), then season with salt.
Cook over the fire for 2–3 minutes on each side (you will only flip them once). If your grill is flaring up too much, simply move them for a minute or move the coals around a bit underneath them.
Serve immediately with warm , some harissa oil, lemon wedges and a dollop of yoghurt.
Danielle Alvarez's tips
If using bamboo skewers, remember to soak them first.
