Gordon Ramsey Cook and Review

‘Roast Lamb with Paprika and Oranges’

1 Leg of Lamb (part boned) 1-2 kg

2 tea spoons of Paprika (sweet and smoked paprika mixed)

1 tea spoon of ground ginger

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 table spoon of olive oil

2-4 cloves of garlic

2 sliced oranges

(Recommended serving with potatoes and salad)

Serves 4-6

In current times many people have been affected by the global credit crunch and are looking to spend small amounts of money on meals, but if you have a few pounds to spare or fancy treating someone special then this offering from Gordon Ramsey is definitely for you.

To give a bit of background on Gordon Ramsey, he is a world renowned chef who is ranked third best in the world in terms of Michelin stars awarded, with an impressive total of 16. He is one of only three British chefs who have held 3 michelin stars at one time and known as a ‘TV celebrity chef’. Gordon Ramsey has also featured in a number of successful TV programs including ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares’.

With all this in mind, I decided I would cook and review one of his recipes.

'Roast Lamb with Paprika and Oranges' is taken from his ‘Healthy Appetite’ cook book which was released in 2008 and the ingredients for this dish can be bought for around £15.

To begin, you trim any excess fat from the leg of lamb before creating a criss cross pattern on top of the thin layer of surface fat, this is instructed so that the spices and flavours can soak into the meat. You then mix the recommended amounts of paprika, ginger with salt and pepper in a bowl before spreading them all over the outside of the leg and the boned cavity. This is followed by stuffing the boned cavity with the garlic cloves and half the orange slices.

Then put the lamb on a rack and baste with olive oil, with a splash of water on the bottom of the rack before heating the oven to Gas Mark 7-220c and roast for 20 minutes. After this put another splash of water at the bottom of the rack and roast for further 20 minutes per 500g, half an hour before the lamb is done cover with the remaining oranges.

When cooked rest the lamb on a platter for 10 minutes before carving and serving. This dish is recommended to be served with potatoes and salad, I opted for mashed potatoes with herbs and a salad, the oranges can be added with the serving as well. After this eat and enjoy.

Overall I feel that this dish is full of flavour and very filling, the only down point would be that people may want to add more paprika to suit their taste as the recommended amount may not suit everybodys taste. Apart from that it was an easy recipe to follow with every stage explained in detail and the oranges added a surprise element to the meat which worked very well.

Gordon Ramsey has been hitting the headlines recently for events in his personal life, but this recipe is another of example of why he is such a popular chef and it is hard to criticise what he creates in the kitchen. I would personally recommend this to everyone who enjoys lamb but due to cost it is worth saving for a special occasion.

BY Sean O’Malley