A whole boneless saddle stuffed with an anchovy-garlic-rosemary butter, rolled, and roasted at high heat. The umami of anchovy disappears into the lamb but leaves it deeply savoury — a classic English dinner-party roast.
Serves 6 to 8Prep 30 minCook 50 min
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Ingredients
- 1 saddle of lamb (about 2 kg), boned and butterflied (ask your butcher)
- 8 salt-cured anchovy fillets, rinsed
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Coarse sea salt
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 200 ml lamb or chicken stock
Method
- 1Preheat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F).
- 2In a mortar or food processor, work the anchovies, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, butter, and a generous crack of pepper to a paste.
- 3Lay the saddle skin-side down. Spread the anchovy butter over the inside.
- 4Roll the saddle into a tight cylinder. Tie firmly with butcher's twine at 4 cm intervals.
- 5Rub the outside with olive oil and salt. Place in a heavy roasting pan.
- 6Roast at 220 °C for 15 minutes to colour the surface. Reduce to 180 °C (350 °F) and continue roasting until the internal temperature reads 55 °C (131 °F) for medium-rare, 30 to 35 minutes more.
- 7Lift onto a board, tent with foil, and rest 15 minutes.
- 8Pour off most of the fat from the pan, set over medium heat, and pour in the wine. Reduce to a glaze, scraping the fond. Add the stock and reduce to a gravy. Strain.
- 9Snip the strings, slice the saddle into 1.5 cm slices. Serve with the gravy, redcurrant jelly, and roast potatoes.
Chef's tip
Get your butcher to bone and butterfly the saddle — doing it yourself for the first time will take an hour and produce a misshapen result.