Sunday Roast Lamb with Aubergines and Red Onion and an Italian Style Tomato Sauce

This is a deliciously different way to serve roast lamb; roasted slowly with red onion and aubergines, with a classic Italian slightly sweet and sour tomato sauce drizzled over the top.

It's about simple flavours really; the red onion slowly roasts into it's sweet counterpart, while the aubergine soaks up flavour from the lamb and onions. The result is a sweet, flavoursome, and completely different take on roast lamb.

And this is something which you can use in so many different ways; serve it on couscous, tossed through pasta, or stuff it into pita pockets or a wrap with salad, like we did. 

Roast Lamb with Aubergines, Red Onions, and an Italian Style Tomato Sauce (Serves 6-8)

1.5 - 2 kg leg of lamb, on the bone

2 large aubergines

2 red onions

1T dried oregano

1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked

3 cloves garlic

400g can tomatoes

1T red wine vinegar

1/2t sugar

1 good pinch of dried chilli flakes

2 anchovy fillets, minced finely (even if you don't like anchovies, trust me on this one)

1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Pasta, couscous, or pita pockets and salad to serve

Preheat the oven to 220 C. Dress the lamb generously in oil, salt and pepper, and pop it in a roasting tray. If you have one, pop a meat roasting thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Once the oven comes up to temperature, pop it in and roast for 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, chop the aubergines and red onions into wedges. Sprinkle the aubergine wedges with a little salt and pop in a colander for 10 mins to draw out some of the moisture. Drain on paper towels, then toss with the red onion wedges, oregano and rosemary.

Pull the lamb out of the oven once the 30 mins is up, pour away all but 1 or 2T of the juices, and scatter the onions and aubergine around it. Turn the oven down to 170 C, and pop everything back in for another hour or so, or until cooked to your liking (this is where the meat thermometer comes in handy; how long the roasting will take depends on the exact weight and shape of the meat).

While the lamb is cooking, make the tomato sauce. Start by frying the garlic in a splash of oil until it is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, chilli, and minced anchovy. Bring everything to a simmer, and let it tick away for 20-30 minutes, or until it forms a thick tomato sauce. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid until the lamb is ready.

Check the lamb once your sauce is done, and stir the vegies so they don't burn on the bottom. If the pan looks a bit dry, add a couple T water or so, just to loosen it up.

Once the lamb is cooked, bring it out of the oven, and transfer it to a carving board. Cover with foil and let the meat rest for 15 minutes or so.

If there is any excess fat in the bottom of the roasting dish, pour it off. Add the tomato sauce to the pan, and stir it through the roast aubergine mixture. Pop back into the oven (turned off) until the meat has rested properly. Prep the couscous, pasta, or toasted pita pockets and salad you're serving this with.

Carve the meat, and transfer to a serving dish. Pull the aubergine-tomato mix out of the oven and transfer into another serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve.