How to Roast a Leg of Lamb in a Wood Fired Pizza Oven with Bonus Recipe

A roast leg of lamb in a wood-fired pizza oven is to die for. It's just like cooking in a normal kitchen oven, however, the smoke from the wood enhances the natural flavours of the lamb. Despite what you may think, it's actually not that difficult cooking in a wood-fired pizza. oven. Typically you need 3 pieces of red gum wood, some kindling and a match to start the fire. Allow the fire to burn until your oven is nice and hot. If your wood fired oven has a temperature gauge built into it, that'll make it easier to determine when your oven is at the correct temperature, however, if you don't have a temperature gauge, you can buy a free standing gauge to sit inside your oven. 

So to start here is the ingredients you need:

1. Wood-fired pizza oven or a normal oven 

2. 2 kg leg of lamb

3. 3 cloves of garlic – cut in half

4. Rosemary – 2-3 sprigs – remove from the stalk

5. A quarter cup of virgin olive oil

6. Baby potatoes – depends on how many people you invite

7. 2 cups of peas

8. 2 tablespoons of butter

9. Sea salt

10. Black pepper

Mint Sauce – Jamie Oliver’s recipe
4 tablespoons of fresh chopped mint​

1. 1 teaspoon of sugar

2. 2 pinches of salt

3. 1 tablespoon of hot water

4. 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar

Now to really get started

1. Heat your wood fired pizza oven to 200°C or your conventional oven to 200°C

2. Cut deep slits into the lamb and press the garlic into the slits. Make sure they go in deep

3. Mix the rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper  in a bowl.

4. Place the leg of lamb in a tray and rub the mixture from the bowl into the lamb.

5. Place the lamb tray into the oven for 15 minutes. Then remove.

6. Place the baby potatoes around the lamb and place back into the oven for a further hour or until cooked to your liking.

7. Remove the lamb leg and place it on a dish and cover it with foil.

8. Place the potatoes back into the oven for a further 10 minutes.

9. Whilst the potatoes are cooking make Jamie Oliver’s Mint Sauce: mix the chopped mint, sugar, salt, hot water and wine vinegar in a bowl.

10. After 10 minutes remove the potatoes.

11. Carve and serve – Make sure the lamb has rested for 15 minutes after coming out of the oven.

 
 Buon Appetit!

Author: Rhiannon Peterson