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January 18, 2016
Scotch Lamb with basil and pinenuts: winter warmer that tastes of summer.
Scotch Lamb with basil and pinenuts: winter warmer that tastes of summer.

If some of the papers are to be believed, then today is Blue Monday – the most depressing day of the year.

Grim weather, post-Christmas blues and the long wait for summer are all blamed.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the third Monday of each new year has simply become a diary date which desperate newsrooms seize on eagerly each January.

Anyway, here is a mighty fine Scotch lamb recipe – just the thing to chase away the blues.

Our chums at Quality Meat Scotland kindly provided us with a recipe and a voucher for the Scotch lamb. We ordered our lamb from Crombies in Edinburgh.

The lamb smells divine when it is cooking and, although the basil and olives gives it a fresh, summery taste, it is hearty enough to act as a winter warmer.

Dead easy

It is also dead easy to do. The only real kitchen skill required is a bit of chopping.

Tying up the lamb might have been slightly problematic if I hadn’t had a helping hand but then it takes me an hour and ten yards of Sellotape to wrap a simple Christmas present so draw your own conclusions.

Another advantage of this recipe is that it creates very little washing up. All the cooking is done in one baking tray.

So, it tastes delicious. It is quick and easy to prep and results in minimum washing up. What’s not to like?

There are lots more recipes for Scotch Lamb and Beef at The Scotch Kitchen.

Chopping pinenuts and basil is as complicated as it gets.
Chopping pinenuts and basil is as complicated as it gets.

Rolled Scotch Lamb Shoulder with Basil and Pinenuts

Prep: 20 mins

Cooking time: 90 mins

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

60ml/4tbsp pine nuts

50g/2oz fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

75g/3oz pitted green olives

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 boned shoulder of Scotch Lamb weighing 1.3kg/3lb

500g/1lb Charlotte potatoes

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks

2 red onions cut into wedges

Rubbing the paste into the meat.
Rubbing the paste into the meat.

Cooking Method

1 Preheat the oven to 220oC/Fan 200oC/425oF/Gas Mark 7. Place the pine nuts, basil, garlic and olives on a large board, then use a large sharp knife to chop them all together until you have a rough paste. Season with salt and plenty of ground black pepper.

2 Unroll the boned shoulder and place skin side down on a board. Scatter the basil paste over the meat, rubbing it into all the crevices and cut surfaces. Roll up the shoulder of lamb and tie it together with string at regular intervals to make a neat parcel.

3 Place the lamb in the centre of a large roasting tin. Roast for 10 mins. Reduce the temperature to 180oC/Fan 180oC/350oF/Gas Mark 4 and roast for 40 mins.

4 Remove the roasting tin from the oven, add all the vegetables and toss together until coated in the pan juices. Roast for a further 40 mins.

5 Transfer the meat to a board and leave to rest for 10 mins, covered with foil. Keep the vegetables warm in a serving dish.

Serving Suggestions

To serve, thickly slice the lamb and serve with the roasted vegetables.

OK, OK. So my string skills are impressing no-one but it tasted great.
OK, OK. So my string skills are impressing no-one but it tasted great.