Roast Lamb with Pesto Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb, boned (about 1.8kg)

For the Pesto:
200g fresh basil
100g fresh parsley
75g grated Parmesan cheese
75g grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tbsp pine nuts
12 blanched almonds
12 walnut halves
3 tbsp butter, melted
120ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced into slivers

Method:

Begin by preparing the pesto. Combine the basil and parsley in a food processor with a little salt and black pepper and 2 tbsp of the oil. Blitz to chop then add the cheeses, nuts, garlic and butter. Continue blitzing until the mixture is very thick then slowly add the oil and continue processing until smooth and very thick (it should just be spreadable).

Lay the lamb out flat (you may need to trim the lamb a little to do this. Spread the lamb out then slice the meat from the centre to the outside cutting half way through then open and lay flat. Spread the pesto over the lamb (leave a 1cm border of meat uncovered all the way around. Starting at one outer edge roll the lamb up tightly Swiss (jelly) roll fashion then tie with string to secure and place in a roasting pan. When done, use a sharp knife to stab a few slits all over the outside of the lamb and insert the garlic slivers into these.

Place on a rack in a roasting tin then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 220°C and roast for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180°C and roast for 20 minutes per kg (rare), 30 minutes per kg (medium) and 40 minutes per kg (well done).

Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting block then cover and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. If desired, you can use any pan juices to make a wine sauce or a gravy.