Last updated at 20:13, Thursday, 26 January 2012

Believe it or not, even we get stuck in the same food rut at home.

Don’t get us wrong, those foods do taste great but it is difficult to be inspired to ring in the changes.

Here is a new idea for Sunday lunch with a touch of the unexpected.

Sunday lunch is generally a meal where you are prepared to put in a bit of effort.

So don’t baulk at the thought of toasting spices for this dish, as it only takes a few minutes and can make all the difference to the flavour.

Try to plan ahead and marinate the meat the day before you cook it. This way the flavour will permeate right through.

Serve with rice, some mango chutney and perhaps a cucumber, tomato and mint salad.

Serves four to six.

Approx 2kg leg of lamb – bone in

For the marinade

½ tblsp coriander seeds

½ tblsp cumin seeds

½ cinnamon stick

2 dried red chillies

5 cloves

½ tblsp ground mace (or nutmeg if you can’t find mace)

½ tblsp ground ginger

Good pinch salt and pepper

500ml natural yoghurt

Juice of one lemon

Heat a dry frying pan over a low to medium heat.

Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and chillies.

After a couple of minutes they will begin to smell aromatic. At this stage remove them from the pan and grind them until fine using either a pestle and mortar or in a sturdy bowl with the end of a rolling pin.

Combine this spice mix with the rest of the marinade ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Make some deep slashes in the leg of lamb to create pockets for the marinade then rub the mixture over it using your hands and massaging all over the surface.

Cover with cling film and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Remove the lamb from the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking so that it comes to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Place the meat in a large roasting tray and cover tightly with foil. Put in the oven and roast for two and a half hours.

After this time, remove the foil from the tin and turn the oven up as high as it will go. Baste the lamb with any juices and cook for a further 25 minutes until it turns lovely and crisp.

Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

First published at 19:24, Thursday, 26 January 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk