The lamb if roasted with garlic and rosemary brings out the sweet flavour of the meat. A versatile dish, roasted lambs can be cooked in varied flavours and marinades. Some lamb cuts are ideally served slow-cooked while other parts are roasted with traditional methods.

Here are some tips to prepare roast lamb:

• Choose the best lamb cut

To prepare lean roast lamb that’s crispy on the exterior and juicy in the middle, opt for the leg of lamb. A whole leg would make an impressive roast lamb dinner and ideally makes for a great roast joint owing to its incredible flat shape and quick cooking time. A whole leg of weighs between 2 – 3 kg, with ideal portions for 6-8 people.

One should opt for slow cooking lamb methods for roasting shoulders. A 2.25kg shoulder should serve 6-8 people, and a half shoulder suffices for a smaller group too.

When cooking boneless legs or shoulders, allocate 225g of meat per individual guest. Go for a larger joint of 3kg meat to accommodate 10 people. Also, consider the shrinkage of large joints in the oven when buying meat.

A rack of lamb or even a lamb fillet is suitable for cooking for 2 people. They are expensive cuts but a quick roast usually has no waste. They need to be pan-fried before they are roasted, which is quite quick.

• Add relevant flavour with every roast lamb

There are many ways to add and boost the flavour of the roast lamb preparation. For a simple roast lamb, the flavours of rosemary and garlic are an idea. Also, make small incisions in the meat and push in slivers of garlic and sprig of rosemary within.

It also helps when lambs are marinated in red wine and garlic or a blend of yogurt and turmeric overnight. For those who like their roast lamb simple, add salt to cook it. Leave any fat on meat to help baste it with required moisture.

• Get cooking

Let the meat come to room temperature for an hour after taking out from the fridge. Preheat the oven to the right temperature before putting in the meat so that the time for cooking is accurate. With larger roasts, it is preferable to cook them for 20 minutes on high flame, so that there is enough crispy skin. Preheat the oven to 220C and then reduce the temperature for 20 more minutes out of the total cooking time.

One does not have to cover the leg of lamb with foil during the roasting process. A slow roast shoulder takes time and hence needs to be covered with foil for moisture retention. Remove the foil when cooking the lamb for the last 30 minutes for ensuring crispy skin.

• Baste meat ideally

Basting meat for cooking involves imbuing juices from roasting tin over the meat. Take the roasting tin from the oven slightly tilting it to collect juices in a corner. Use a spoon to scoop the juice and drizzle it over the meat. Baste the lamb while cooking, and remember to shut the over the door to preserve heat within.

• Check to see if the lamb is cooked and roasted as intended

Slow roast lamb does fall apart since it involves a long cooking time, hence one does not have to apply the conventional rules of medium, medium rare meat preparations. The roast leg is ideally served medium. Check your meat by piercing the thickest point of the lamb joint with a sharp skewer. If the meat juices are pinky-red, the meat is medium-rare. If the colour is light pink, it’s cooked medium. A meat thermometer is important for large joints. Push the thermometer probe into the meat and avoid the centre for 20 seconds before taking the final reading. Medium preparations should read 60 C and well-done meat should be 70C.