Belly Of Lamb With Garlic, Lemon And Thyme

Total Time: 61 hrs Preparation Time: 13 hrs Cook Time: 48 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 (1 1/2 kg) lamb belly, piece
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised
• 3 lemons, zest of
• 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
• 1 bunch basil
• 1/2 bunch coriander
• 2 roasted garlic cloves, peeled
• 150 ml olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 pierce the skin of the lamb all over with a skewer, going through the fat but not the flesh. pour boiling water over the skin, drain and dry well.
• 2 mix the garlic, lemon zest, thyme, olive oil and salt and pepper together. rub mixture well into the fleshy side of the lamb and leave to marinade overnight.
• 3 preheat the oven to 200c/400fgas mark 6. place the lamb on a wire rack skin-side up and place the rack over a roasting tin half filled with water. sprinkle with skin with salt and roast for 15 minutes to start the crackle forming. then reduce the temperature to 180c/350f/gas mark 4 and continue to cook for one and a half hours. top up with water in the roasting tin as necessary.
• 4 meanwhile make the salsa verde. in a food processor, mix the herbs and garlic to a paste and gradually pour in the oil so that it becomes emulsified. season to taste with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
• 5 increase the oven temperature to 230c/450f/gas mark 8 and roast the lamb for a further 15 minutes.
• 6 remove from oven, slice and serve with salsa verde.