Oven Cooked Butterflied Lamb with Summer Vegetables

Make a marinade with five to one olive oil to fresh lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and add the lamb along with the rosemary  Picture  . Allow to marinate for at least four hours or over night.

Fire up the wood burning oven aiming for a medium heat.

Pod the broad beans and simmer in boiling water for about five minutes or so. Drain into a colinder and cool under a running cold water tap. Later on pour a glass of wine, peel the broad beans and put in a covered dish to one side.

Pod the peas, simmer in boiling water until they are fairly tender, drain and put to one side. Top and tail the carrots, scrape and cut into small pieces around 2 inches/5 cms long, and keep in cold water.

Make the egg and lemon sauce up until the point of adding the egg  Recipe   and put to one side. Alternatively chop some fresh mint and stir into the yoghurt and season with a little salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Top and tail the courgettes, half or quarter lengthwise depending on size, and then cut into slices. Drain and roughly dry the carrots and to an ovenproof dish along with the courgettes and ten or so unpeeled garlic cloves. Stir in three or so tablespoonfuls of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper  Picture  .

Take the lamb out of the marinade and shake off some of the oil. Cut into large pieces of approximately the same thickness  Picture   and put into an ovenproof dish skinside up. Put the vegetables and lamb into the oven and cook for about 15 minutes and then turn the meat and stir the vegetables. Cook for a further ten minutes or so and check the meat is done to your taste with a carving fork and whether the vegetables are tender. Cook either some more if necessary.

When done put the meat on a carving board to rest for five minutes or so. Stir the peas and broad beans into the vegetable cooking dish, season with salt and pepper and pop back in the oven to warm through. Finish off the egg and lemon sauce if being used.

Add some chopped parsley to the vegetables. Slice the lamb into thick slices and place on serving plates along with spoonfuls of vegetables  Picture  . Pour over a little egg and lemon sauce or add a dollop of mint yoghurt and serve  Zoom  .