So this is what I made last weekend: the most satisfying Sunday paleo roast, consisting of succulent oven roasted lamb, oven roasted vegetables, paleo (cauliflower) mash, paleo mint sauce and the richest paleo onion gravy I've ever tasted.
All I can say is, man, was it good!
The lamb was seasoned to perfection, the vegetables were so sweet and juicy, the cauliflower mash was just heavenly and the onion gravy and mint sauce, well, I could just go on!
I haven't really got much to waffle on about (as per usual) this time round, instead wanting you to appreciate the pictures enough to then go out, get the ingredients and try out the full recipe this weekend for yourself.
I don't usually do a full meal recipe like this, instead opting for treats such my Strawberry, Blueberry & Granola Smoothie Bowl and my Paleo Chocolate Protein Truffles, but had to share this full Sunday roast dinner with you as being so good, I wanted to show that one can indeed do a traditional roast dinner - paleo style - without loosing out on flavour.
If you remember my last recipe post for Thyme & Lime Spicy Chicken where I spoke about how much I love steak, well I have to say that lamb comes a close second.
I especially like a delicious roasted leg of lamb, seasoned well with loads of garlic and fresh herbs. Well, that's exactly what I fancied last weekend but unlike last time, where I felt like eating solely meat, this time round, like a full English fry up, I felt like a full roast dinner consisting of meat, mash, veg, sauce and of course, gravy.
For a long while when doing a Sunday roast for the family, I would sit there with a half empty plate, eyeing up everyone else's that was full of creamy buttery mash, totally unfulfilled afterwards as I felt that without the mashed potatoes, something was missing.
I could have substituted the potatoes for sweet potatoes but the thought of having orange mash whilst everyone else was enjoying the creamy color of regular mashed potatoes just didn't cut it for me, until one day whilst doing cauliflower cheese (which I ABSOLUTELY love but for some reason, find that it makes me soooo sleepy afterwards), I decided to mash up the boiled cauliflower and voila!
Paleo creamy white mash in my household was born!
You can't have lamb without mint sauce and no Sunday roast would be complete without onion gravy so of course I had to include both, paleo style!
The gravy and mint sauce, along with the mash, were all lapped up by the family thus concluding that going paleo doesn't mean sacrificing on flavour so do give this full Sunday dinner a go with lovely sweet vegetables like beetroot and carrots, guaranteed that it will be a sure winner with all the family.
For the Lamb
1 whole leg of lamb,
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
¼ freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt and pepper
Handful of fresh rosemary (half leaves removed and roughly chopped)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
For the Vegetables
Fresh beetroot, unpeeled, washed and leaves cut close to the tip
2-3 carrots, cleaned and roughly cut
2 handfuls of radishes
1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
5-6 whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Small handful of fresh parsley
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
For the Cauliflower Mash
1 whole cauliflower
Pinch of salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons butter or ghee
3 tablespoons of double cream
For the Gravy
2 tablespoons of butter or ghee
1 white onion, finely chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons Tapioca/arrowroot powder
2 gluten free stock cubes
1 cup of boiled water
Pinch of pepper
For the Mint Sauce
Handful of mint leaves
2 tablespoons of raw honey
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of hot water
Pinch of salt and pepper
For the Lamb
Remove the lamb about one hour before roasting.
Pre-heat the oven to 180c.
Massage the oil, lemon, salt, pepper, chopped rosemary and 1/6 of minced garlic into the leg of lamb.
Then with a sharp knife, cut about 20 1nch deep incisions all over the lamb and stuff the remaining garlic and sprigs of rosemary into the incisions, leaving the small sprigs of rosemary sticking out.
Place the lamb in the oven and roast for approximately an hour and a half before removing and leaving to sit for about 15 minutes, covered loosely with foil.
For the Vegetables
Wrap the beetroot individually in foil and place on a baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and roast the beetroot for approximately 1 hour or until the beetroot is cooked through and soft.
Remove from the oven and set aside till cool. Once cooled, rub the skin off the beetroot.
Add the carrots, onions, radishes, garlic, salt and pepper to a tray and pour the oil in, rubbing the vegetables into the oil till fully covered.
Roast for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked, adding the fresh herbs and beetroot (roughly sliced) to the tray five minutes before removing from the oven.
For the Cauliflower Mash
Cut the cauliflower into florets and steam or boil for approximately 10 minutes, until tender.
In a bowl, add the florets, butter, salt and pepper and with a potato masher, mash until smooth or desired consistency.
Add the cream and continue to mash until creamy and smooth.
For the Gravy
Heat the butter in a pan and add the onions, frying on a medium heat for a few minutes. Then turning the heat low, add the thyme and cover the pan and allow the onions to cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until the onions are clear and soft.
Then add the flour, water and stock cubes and stir in over a medium heat, allowing to cook for a further 5 minutes before removing the thyme.
Remove the pan from the heat and blend until smooth.
For an extra glaze, add a small knob of butter just before serving.
For the Mint Sauce
Blitz the mint leaves in a blender until finely chopped, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again till smooth.
Notes
A good way of timing the lamb is to place in the oven around the same time as roasting the beetroot and removing around the same time as the vegetables have finished cooking.
If you like your lamb slightly pink, then reduce the cooking time.