Pile on the stuffing for an impressive centerpiece to a family feast or special gathering with this showstopping Stuffed Lamb with Spinach and Pine Nuts from Gordon Ramsay. With tender lamb, wilting spinach, crunchy pine nuts and piquant feta, every bite bursts with fresh and sophisticated flavor. This recipe features seasoned with fragrant sumac and served with a cool yogurt dressing, Mediterranean haymakers at their best.
Before crumbling in creamy feta, sautéed onions, golden pine nuts and spinach make up the stuffing. After rolling the boned saddle of lamb around this savory mixture and tying it in place, you give it a quick browning on the stovetop, then roast it in the oven until it’s resplendently pink. And a refreshing dressing of cucumber, mint and pomegranate molasses lifts the flavors even higher.
The end result is an elegant dish that will impress any guests while celebrating the comforting quality of well-chosen ingredients. Serve it hot or warm.
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING
Cooking instructions
SERVES 6-8
Sauté the onion and garlic in a medium-hot pan with a splash of olive oil for 5 minutes until soft. Season, then add the pine nuts and fry for 1 minute, until golden. Combine in pan toss to mix well and wilt only briefly. Take off the heat and stir in the feta.
Open the saddle of lamb on to a board, flesh-side up. Add salt and pepper, and scatter over the sumac. Spoon the spinach mixture down the center of the meat, using the fillets that line the inside length of the meat to prop up the sides of the stuffing.
Roll the meat around the filling and tie it at intervals with string. Salt the outside of the lamb all over, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight to firm it up and make it easier to brown.
Heat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5.
Sit a roasting tray on the hob and heat until hot. When foaming, add a glug of oil and fry the joint for 10 minutes, turning until brown all over. Place in the hot oven and roast for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of the lamb and how pink you like it. Once cooked, remove from heat and let rest.
In the meantime, mix everything together for the dressing and season lightly.
Serve the rested lamb hot or at room temperature, thickly sliced, the dressing on the side.
How to Stuff meat
The trick to any stuffing is to give it a partial cook first. They will not be able to cook inside the meat. If you’re not going to roast the meat straight away, however, the stuffing must be allowed to cool.
When stuffing the saddle, include a little more stuffing around the perimeter because some will be squeezed out when you roll it, and don’t tie it too tightly.