Colonial Goose | New Zealand Rolled Lamb Leg with Dried Apricot Stuffing

Lay the butterflied lamb leg skin-side down on a cutting board. Score the thicker muscle sections halfway through and open them like a book; aim for an even 4 cm thickness throughout. Mix the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, finely chopped rosemary, salt, and black pepper, then rub it over both sides of the meat. Cover and refrigerate.

Finely chop the onion and cook it in butter over medium heat for 6 minutes, until translucent. Let it cool for 5 minutes; hot onion would cook the egg. Dice the apricots into 5 mm pieces. Mix the onion and its butter with the breadcrumbs, apricots, honey, beaten egg, lemon zest, chopped parsley, thyme, and salt. The stuffing is ready when it clumps together when squeezed in your palm.

Start preheating the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat the surface dry with paper towels. Spread the stuffing over the inside of the meat, leaving 3 cm clear around the edges. Starting from a long side, roll it tightly. Tie the roll with kitchen twine every 3 cm, then tie both ends lengthwise so the stuffing cannot escape.

Place the roll seam-side down in a roasting pan, pour in 100 ml water, and roast for 1 hour. Spoon the pan juices over the roll; add another 100 ml water if needed and continue roasting. At 105 minutes, insert a thermometer into the exact center of the roll, through to the stuffing: because the filling contains raw egg and absorbs meat juices, do not remove the roast until the center reaches 74°C / 165°F. The lamb will be well done at this point, which is also the traditional texture of colonial goose.

While the roll rests, strain the pan juices into a pot and skim off the surface fat, leaving 15 ml. Whisk in the flour over medium heat for 1 minute. Slowly pour in 250 ml hot water, whisking constantly. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, and adjust the salt to taste.

Cut and pull off the twine with scissors. Slice the roll 1.5 cm thick with a sharp knife, using a back-and-forth sawing motion without pressing so the stuffing stays in place. Serve with the gravy.