Slow Roast Leg of Lamb & Crispy Roast Potatoes

Serves 6

Prep time: 15mins 

Cook time: 5.5hrs

Fancy a Turkish twist to a traditional Lamb Roast Dinner? In Turkey, the equivalent to a roast dinner is ‘Fırın Kebab’, which literally means ‘Oven Kebab’. This is when meat (usually lamb) is slow cooked for hours until it becomes incredibly tender, juicy, and packed with flavour. It’s a dish that brings people together — often cooked slowly throughout the day and served as the centrepiece of a family feast.

This version combines those traditional Turkish flavours with the comfort of a classic British roast. The lamb is infused with rich marinade, gently roasted over vegetables, and basted in stock to create beautifully soft, pull-apart meat. Paired with crispy, golden roast potatoes and a fresh, herby salad, this dish is the perfect balance of indulgent and vibrant — ideal for a relaxed weekend meal or hosting friends and family.

It might feel a little different serving a roast with a fresh salad and yoghurt, but this is exactly how it’s enjoyed in Turkish cuisine. The freshness of the salad and the cooling yoghurt cut through the richness of the lamb, bringing balance to the dish and making every bite feel lighter, brighter, and seriously moreish.

Ingredients

For the Lamb:

• 2.5kg Lamb Leg
• 3tsp Lamb Shish Marinade
• 1 large Rosemary Sprig - cut into 4 
• 500ml Stock (Chicken, Beef or Veg will do)
• 1tbsp Pepper Paste or Tomato Paste 
• 1 Onion, quartered
• 1 Carrot, quartered

For the Roast Potatoes

• 1.5kg Cyprus Potatoes, peeled & washed (ideally the night before and left in water)
• 1tbsp Extra Fine Semolina
• 3tbps Olive Oil 
• 2tsp Salt 

For the Salad 

• 4 Tomatoes, chopped
• 3/4 Cucumber, chopped
  
• 2 Spring Onions, finely sliced
• 5 Mint Leaves, Finely sliced 
• 10g Parsley, chopped
• 10g Coriander, chopped 
• 3 tbsp Turkish Salad Dressing
• 1/2tsp Salt

To Serve

• Yoghurt 

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C (fan). Place the onion and carrot into a large roasting tin. Sit the lamb leg on top and massage in the Lamb Shish Marinade, ensuring it is well coated. Push the rosemary sprigs into small slits in the lamb.

2. Mix the stock with the pepper paste (or tomato paste), then pour it around the lamb (not over the top). Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Cook for 5.5 hours, checking halfway through. When you check it, baste the lamb with the cooking juices to keep it moist, then cover again and return to the oven - add more stock if dried out. 

3. Ideally, peel and leave the potatoes in water overnight. Cut into halves or thirds. When ready to cook, drain and parboil them in salted water for around 15 minutes until just tender. Put the oil on a shallow metal tray and preheat in the oven at 190c.

4. Drain in a colander and allow them to steam dry. Give them a good shake in the colander to rough up the edges, then return to the pan and toss with the semolina and salt.

5. Place into a roasting tray and roast at 190°C for 60 minutes, turning halfway through and gently squashing them slightly to create extra crispy edges.

6. While they are roasting, simply combine all salad ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing and salt, and mix well.

7. Once the lamb is cooked, remove from the oven and allow it to rest briefly before shredding or carving. Serve with the crispy roast potatoes, fresh salad, and a generous spoon of yoghurt on the side.

   Afiyet Olsun!