Spring has sprung. We'll soon have lots of fresh green ingredients. This is a lovely recipe for this time of year and it's great for a big meal to bring people together.

People are often intimidated by the big roast dinner. This recipe makes it really simple and really tasty.

Serves: 6-8

Preparation Time: 30 nóiméad
Cooking Time: 25 minutes per 500g of Lamb, 60-75 minutes for the dauphinoise.

Ingredients
Leg of Lamb (2 - 2.5kg)
10 Cloves of Garlic
1.2kg Potatoes
450ml Double Cream
Small Bunch of Rosemary
20-30 Asparagus Tips
50ml Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Equipment
Small Sharp Knife
Medium-sized Pot
Griddle Pan (a normal pan will do either)
Garlic Crusher (not essential)
Large Mixing Bowl
Tinfoil
Baking Tray
Baking Dish (around 30cm long by 15cm wide and 3cm deep)
 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Peel all of the cloves of garlic. Cut around 4 or 5 in half.

3. On a tinfoil covered tray, lay out the lamb leg. Pour a good drop of oil over it and rub around thoroughly with your hands. Using a small sharp knife, pierce 8-10 holes in the meatiest part of the lamb. In each hole, insert a half clove of garlic followed by a little sprig of rosemary. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove, cover with tinfoil and return to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time (see above).

3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes (around 1mm thick). Place in a large mixing bowl and cover with water. This will remove a lot of the starch.

4. Crush the remaining cloves of garlic with a garlic crusher. (If you don't have one, slice them and crush them with a fork.)

5. In a small dish, mix together the cream, the crushed garlic and a little salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the drained potatoes and mix well.

6. Turn the potatoes out into a baking dish and make sure to bring all of the cream with them. Flatten them out. The liquid should come just to the top layer without covering it. Place in the oven and bake for 60-75 minutes.

7. Remove the hard, woody end of the asparagus tips.

8. Place a pot with around 2cm of water to boil. Drop in the asparagus tips and allow them to cook/steam for 3 minutes. Remove them and place them immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until the other elements of the meal are almost ready.

9. Take the lamb out of the oven and check that it's properly cooked. Pierce it deeply at it's thickest point with a carving fork or a skewer and ensure that no red is left in the liquid that runs out. Cover with tinfoil, place a towel over it and leave it to rest.

10. Take the dauphinoise out of the oven and make sure it is properly cooked. The potatoes should be soft throughout and should be golden brown and crispy in places on top (see above). If you would like them to be even crispier, you can finish it under the grill.

11. Place a griddle pan on a high heat with a tiny drop of oil. When it is very hot, place the asparagus tips on it and grill for 2-3 minutes. Turn and grill them again. Remove them, drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over them and bring them to table immediately with the lamb and the dauphinoise.