Blend together into a smooth paste the green olive tapenade, lemon zest and juice of one lemon, anchovy fillet, peppadew, half a bunch of thyme, rosemary, hot English mustard, olive oil, garlic cloves, and ½ tsp paprika.
Trim the lamb loin of excess fat, if any, and cut in the middle but not completely through – enough to allow the meat to fold easily.
Place skin-side down on a board, and smear the inside heavily with the blended paste.
Add olives in groups of 5 or 6, to form a filling.
Fold lamb loin up, and tie off with cotton string (about five ties, depending on size).
Place in an ovenproof dish, and add the remaining thyme, rosemary and coat outside with ½ tsp paprika plus a few grinds of salt and pepper, as desired.
Preheat oven to 200 ℃, and cook at this heat for 10 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 170 ℃, add a cup of red wine, and cook for a further 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The lamb should be a nice golden brown. If it browns too quickly, cover with tin foil.
Leave to rest for about 15 minutes, remove string and carve into thick slices.
Serve with:
Baby roast potatoes and veg like cauliflower, broccoli or beans.
Keyword family meal, pitted black olives, winter food, winter recipe