Barbequed Harissa Lamb with Baba Ghanoush and Mediterranean Bean Salad

By Miguel Maestre

Barbequed Harissa Lamb with Baba Ghanoush and Mediterranean Bean Salad
This is a great way to use a nice shoulder or leg of lamb.

Harissa paste is available at the supermarket and it’s such a simple way to add flavour to your dishes. Use your hands to really massage it into the lamb – the warmth of your hands will help bring the meat to room temperature ready for cooking. You don’t want to burn the beautiful red harissa, so remember to keep turning the lamb.

For the baba, it is best to cook the eggplant on an open flame. Don’t be afraid to push it so far that it’s almost falling apart – the more you burn the outside, the more it steams and softens on the inside.

Make sure to slice the lamb against the grain to preserve its tenderness.

Barbequed Harissa Lamb with Baba Ghanoush and Mediterranean Bean Salad Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1–1.5 kg deboned, butterflied leg of lamb

70g harissa paste

Generous pinch of salt flakes

Olive oil, for pan-frying

Baba Ghanoush

2 large eggplants

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon tahini

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt flakes

1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch of chives, chopped

Mediterranean Bean Salad

400g canned butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

1 golden shallot, finely diced

½ bunch of chives, finely chopped

½ bunch of coriander, leaves picked

½ bunch of mint, leaves picked

2 tablespoons roughly chopped Sicilian or Manzanilla olives

3 tablespoons whole-egg mayonnaise

Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pat the lamb dry with paper towel, then rub all over with the harissa paste and season generously with salt. Keep it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking so it comes to room temperature. Massaging the meat will also help with this.

Heat a barbecue grill to medium and add a splash of oil. Add the lamb and cook, turning regularly, for 35–40 minutes for medium–rare, or until cooked to your liking. Keep the heat at medium so you don’t burn the harissa.

While the lamb is cooking, make the baba and salad so everything is ready at the same time.

For the baba ghanoush, place the eggplants on an open fl­ame for about 10 minutes until charred and blackened all over and the ­flesh is soft. Place on a chopping board to cool slightly, then peel off the burnt skin, being very careful of the steam. Discard the skin and stems and place the ­flesh in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mash with a fork until roughly combined, but still retaining some texture.

To make the bean salad, gently toss together all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Finely slice the lamb against the grain and serve on top of the salad, with the baba ghanoush on the side.

This recipe is an extract from Feast by Miguel Maestre, Published by Plum, RRP $39.99 AUD, Photography by Jeremy Simons.

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