Roast Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Garlic, Parsley And Anchovy Rub, served with Tomatoed Eggplant

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb, de-boned and flattened (ask your butcher to do it for you)

5 garlic cloves, 100grams of curly parsley and 50 grams dijon mustard blended into a paste together using a blender

Olive oil to rub

Salt and pepper

10 anchovy fillets

2 large eggplants, diced and salted for 30 minutes then rinsed off

5 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 large onions, diced

1 tbsp tomato paste

Method

Lie the meat flat down and rub the mixture of garlic, parsley and mustard all over it; season to taste.

Roll it nice and tight and tie it with a butcher string.

With a small knife, cut a small incision in  the meat and put an anchovy fillet in it; repeat all over the lamb quite evenly.

Put the meat in a roasting dish, rub with olive oil, and season to taste.

Cook in a 180C preheated oven, on fan bake, for 20-25minutes.

When ready, take the lamb dish and rest for 10 minutes on a plate.

Deglaze the dish with red wine, put back on heat and slowly reduce the wine to 1/2; add water and then transfer into a small pot and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, add a fresh sprig of thyme and 100 grams of butter, whisked in slowly but constantly.

Pass through a fine sieve and keep warm, to one side.

Meanwhile, in a pan heat up 2 tbsp olive oil, sweat off the oinion and garlic until golden brown, and then add the tomatoe paste, stir and cook for 2 minutes then add the chopped tomatoes, season to taste and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

On another baking dish toss the aubergine in with quite a bit of oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and 3/4 cooked.

When tomato sauce is cooked and thick add the aubergine, toss and check seasoning.

Once the lamb is rested, slice it into 1cm thick slices, serve it with the tomatoed eggplant and with some minted gourmet potatoes.

Pour jus around and enjoy with a nice Rose or a Pinot Noir from Central Otago.