If you're looking to impress your guests over the Easter weekend with a showstopper main meal, but are looking to cut back on costs, we've got some inspiration for you. Whether you're entertaining at home or looking for some Easter specials on your menu that deliver on quality and flavour, we've got a handful of recipes to inspire your Easter meals.
Succulent slow roasted lamb shoulder
Slow roast this lamb shoulder for a tender, melt in the mouth meat that falls right off the bone. Top it off with a drizzle of velvety, aromatic garlic gravy from the meat juices, and serve with crispy, golden roast potatoes.
Things to know:
Our fresh, Welsh, bone in lamb contains two shoulders per box. Each shoulder weighs approximately 2.5kg and will feed around 6-8 people, working out at approx. £2.35 per serving
Each shoulder will need 60 minutes cooking time per 500g, plus an extra 30 minutes. We recommend cooking these shoulders for around 3 hours and 40 minutes at 180°C (160°C fan)
Allow the lamb to come to room temperature before cooking
You will need:
One bulb of garlic
One big bunch of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
What to do:
Pre-heat your oven to around 180°C
In a high-sided roasting tray, lay down half of the fresh rosemary along with the cloves from half the garlic bulb (it doesn't matter if they are peeled or not)
Once your lamb has come to room temperature, using a sharp knife, score the fat on both sides of the lamb then rub with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper
Place into the tray and scatter over the remaining rosemary and garlic cloves
Pour in some cold water to the bottom of the tray, so it comes to around 1-2 cm of the way up the sides
Cover the tray tightly with foil, and place it in the oven. At around halfway through, turn the lamb over and replace the foil, then return to the oven
Once the lamb is cooked and shreds off the bone with minimal effort, remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 30 minutes, making sure the foil stays on the tray
Pour the juices from the meat to make a velvety gravy, and serve alongside crispy golden roast potatoes
Mediterranean inspired lamb chops traybake
If you still want to enjoy lamb over Easter, but want a lighter meal option, try this Mediterranean inspired traybake with lamb chops.
This recipe serves four people, and the lamb works out at approximately £3.50 per person.
What you will need:
Two tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
One tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Three garlic cloves
Two tablespoons of olive oil
1kg of lamb cutlets
One aubergine, sliced
Four courgettes, sliced
Two red peppers, cut into large chunks
Two yellow peppers, cut into large chunks
85g feta cheese, crumbled
250g cherry tomatoes
To make the dish:
Remove your lamb chops from the fridge to reach room temperature
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C
In a food processor, blend together your chopped fresh mint, fresh rosemary and garlic cloves with one tablespoon of olive oil
In a large bowl or tray, pour the mixture over the lamb chops and rub it in to make sure every chop is covered
Add the sliced courgette, aubergine and peppers onto a baking tray, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil
Place the lamb chops on top of the vegetables, then roast in the oven for around 20-25 minutes, giving everything a turn over halfway through
Remove the tray from the oven, crumble over the feta cheese and add in the cherry tomatoes
Pop back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Once the cheese just starts to brown, remove from the oven and serve!
Golden, crispy spinach pie
Don't want a meat-heavy meal? Try this golden, crispy spinach pie packed with tangy feta cheese and lots of fresh herbs - a delicious option for an Easter lunch.
This pie serves 4-6 people (depending on portion size) and is a great, low-cost, filling meal.
What you will need:
Five large eggs
300g feta cheese
50g cheddar cheese
Dried oregano
One lemon
Olive oil
Knob of unsalted butter
400g spinach
A pack of filo pastry
Cayenne pepper
Whole nutmeg
To make the pie:
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C
In a large mixing bowl, crack five eggs and crumble in the feta cheese. Grate in the cheddar cheese, season with a pinch of black pepper, and a few pinches of oregano
Finely grate the zest of one lemon and add it into the bowl, along with a drizzle of oil - mix well
In a frying pan, melt the knob of butter and a drizzle of oil over a medium heat. Once melted, add in the spinach and stir until wilted
On a clean surface, lay a 50cm wide strip of greaseproof paper - rub it lightly with oil, scrunch the paper up then lay back out flat again. Carefully unroll the filo pastry and place four sheets in a large rectangle on the greaseproof paper
Brush a little bit of olive oil onto the pastry, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne
Repeat the process until you have three layers of pastry. Once done, add the spinach into the egg mixture, grate in half the nutmeg and mix well
In the frying pan used to cook the spinach (make sure it's an oven proof frying pan), gently slide the greaseproof paper and filo pastry layers over the frying pan and push the centre down to form the pie base
Pour the spinach and egg mixture into the pan and make sure it is spread out evenly
Fold up the sides of the pastry to cover the pie and make a lid
Turn the hob onto a medium heat and allow the bottom of the pie to cook for 2 minutes or so, then transfer to the oven for around 20 minutes, until golden and crisp
Remove from the oven, set aside to cool slightly then cut into equal slices and serve
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