Boning and "butterflying" a leg of lamb produces neat portions, which expose a greater surface area of the meat to both the marinade and the barbecue than straight-cut leg steaks. But if such surgery daunts you, then cutting the meat into cubes and mounting them on wooden skewers after marinating. Or use lamb chops. Searve your lamb slightly pink to taste, but don't cook it to death!

INGREDIENTS:-

6 butterflied lamb portions, or cut up in large cubes for skewering

A dozen good sprigs of rosemary

6 garlic cloves, bashed to release the husk, then roughly chopped

2–3 tbsp olive oil

A few good twists of black pepper

Salsa verde, to serve

METHOD:-

Bruise the rosemary needles by rubbing the sprigs in your hand, then roughly strip the needles into a bowl. Add the garlic, olive oil and pepper and then the meat. Toss all together well and leave for at least 2 hours (4-6 would be good).

Remove the meat from the marinade and wipe it lightly (you don't want it dripping with oil), but leave bits of garlic and rosemary sticking to it. Place the portions (or 5 or 6 cubes mounted on a wooden skewer that has been soaked in water for about 30 minutes) over a fairly hot barbecue. Let them sear on the bars for a couple of minutes and they should turn without sticking, then turn them every couple of minutes to prevent too much blackening on one side. Depending on the thickness of the meat and how pink you want it, the butterflied pieces will take 9-15 minutes, the kebabs 6-10.

Serve with salsa verde, in a bun or split pitta bread. Or plate up more formally, accompanied by chargrilled vegetables (as the barbecue is going) and perhaps, rosemary roast new potatoes.

Salsa verde

INGREDIENTS:-

1 small garlic clove

A good bunch of flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of coarse stalks

Leaves from 3–4 sprigs of tarragon

4–5 anchovy fillets

About 1 tsp capers

About 1 tsp mustard (Dijon or English)

A pinch of sugar

A few drops of lemon juice or vinegar

2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:-

Finely chop the garlic on a large chopping board. Then add the herbs, anchovies and capers and chop all together until the ingredients are well mixed and fairly fine in texture. Transfer to a bowl and mix in a little mustard, sugar, lemon juice or vinegar and black pepper, plus enough olive oil to give a glossy, spoonable consistency.