Slow-Cooked Weber Leg of Lamb with ELEMENTS GSM

A long, lazy Sunday roast made for sharing - and the perfect excuse to open a bottle of GSM.

Picture a Sunday at Kylie's place. The big week at the winery is finally behind her, the Weber is ticking away out the back, and the house has slowly filled with the smell of lamb, garlic and rosemary. Nothing about it is rushed. The lamb takes its time, the wine is already open, and the garlic and rosemary work their way deep into the meat while the cooking juices reduce down into a rich GSM gravy. By the time everyone gathers round the table, it's so tender it pulls apart with a fork.

This is Kylie's family recipe - and if you don't know her, she's Damien's sister and one of the hardest-working people in our winery. That she winds down a long week by cooking like this tells you everything. Hats off to you, Kylie, and thank you for letting us share it.

So set the lamb in the middle of the table with crispy potatoes, buttered greens and plenty of that gravy, and let everyone help themselves. This is a roast made for sharing, and for taking your time over.

Pour it with our ELEMENTS GSM

This is the meal we'd reach for our ELEMENTS GSM - and a splash of it goes into the gravy too. A blend of 35% Grenache, 35% Shiraz and 30% Mataro drawn from our Gnadenfrei North and Stone Well vineyards, it's organic, vegan-friendly and a deep crimson in the glass. The nose is explosive - forest fruits, blueberry, raspberry, mulberry, cherry and plum - lifted by cacao, dried herbs and lavender for a savoury edge. The palate is vibrant yet elegant, fruit sweetness and savoury structure in balance, with precise acidity and plenty of texture. Mostly crushed into concrete fermenters, with selected parcels fermented on stalks and as whole bunches, then matured in seasoned hogsheads and foudre for 12 months, it's generous enough to stand up to slow-cooked lamb. Our tip: it loves anything charred. Open it an hour before you carve so it's ready when the lamb is.

Your shopping list (serves 4)

Everything you need to put this Sunday roast on the table for four - grab it all in one go.

From the butcher

• 1 small leg of lamb (about 1.3-1.5 kg)

Fruit and veg

• 1 kg potatoes (Sebago or Desiree)
• 350 g green beans
• 200 g baby peas (fresh or frozen)
• 300 g baby carrots
• 1 bulb garlic (you'll need 3 cloves)
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary
• 1 bunch fresh sage

Pantry and dairy

• 2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
• Olive oil (and duck fat for the potatoes, if you have it)
• Butter (about 70 g across the beans, peas and carrots)
• Plain flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

The wine

• 1 bottle Tscharke ELEMENTS GSM - about 1 cup goes into the braise and gravy, leaving the rest of the bottle to enjoy with the meal. Pick up a second bottle if you'd like plenty to pour for the table.

Tip: one bottle covers all the cooking with enough left for a glass each. Grab two so no one goes thirsty. Drink responsibly.

Slow-Cooked Weber Leg of Lamb with GSM

Serves 4 · Prep 20 min · Cook ~3 hr · Rest 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 small leg of lamb (about 1.3-1.5 kg)
• 3 cloves garlic, halved (6 pieces)
• 6 small sprigs or pieces of fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup Tscharke ELEMENTS GSM

Method

1. Prepare a medium charcoal Weber for indirect cooking at a moderate temperature.
2. Using a small sharp knife, make 6 deep incisions in the meaty part of the lamb.
3. Insert half a clove of garlic and a small piece of rosemary into each incision.
4. Drizzle the lamb with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Place the lamb in a heavy-based roasting dish. Pour in the chicken stock and GSM.
6. Cover the roasting dish tightly with aluminium foil.
7. Place the dish in the Weber and cook for 2.5 hours.
8. Remove the foil and continue cooking for a further 30-40 minutes to allow the lamb to brown and the cooking liquid to reduce slightly.
9. Remove from the Weber and loosely wrap the lamb in foil. Rest for 1 hour before carving. This resting period allows the meat to become exceptionally tender and juicy.

On the side

Triple-cooked crispy potatoes

1 kg potatoes (Sebago or Desiree) · 3 tbsp olive oil or duck fat · salt

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks.
2. Simmer in salted water until just tender.
3. Drain and allow to steam dry.
4. Roast in the oil or duck fat until lightly coloured, then cool completely.
5. Return to a hot oven or Weber to roast again until deeply golden and crisp. Season with salt.

Beans with burnt butter and sage

350 g green beans, trimmed · 50 g butter · 8-10 sage leaves · salt and pepper

1. Blanch the green beans until just tender.
2. In a frying pan, melt the butter until it turns nut-brown and fragrant.
3. Add the sage leaves and cook briefly until crisp.
4. Toss through the beans and season to taste.

Buttered baby peas and carrots

200 g baby peas · 300 g baby carrots · knob of butter (about 20 g) · salt and pepper

1. Steam the baby peas and carrots until tender.
2. Toss with the butter and season lightly with salt and pepper.

GSM lamb gravy

2 tbsp plain flour · splash of Tscharke ELEMENTS GSM · reserved cooking juices

1. Remove excess fat from the roasting dish, leaving the cooking juices behind.
2. Place the dish over medium heat.
3. Sprinkle in the flour and stir continuously to form a roux.
4. Pour in a generous splash of Tscharke ELEMENTS GSM and stir, scraping up all the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for a minute to cook off the raw edge.
5. Gradually whisk in the reserved cooking juices, adding a little water if required, until smooth.
6. Simmer until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. The Grenache lifts it with bright red fruit, while the Shiraz and Mataro give it depth and a savoury backbone.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

To serve

Carve the rested lamb and serve with the triple-cooked crispy potatoes, burnt butter and sage beans, buttered baby peas and carrots, and plenty of rich GSM gravy. The long, gentle cook in the Weber produces lamb that is deeply flavoured, succulent, and tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

Pour everyone a glass of GSM, and enjoy.

Thanks again to Kylie for opening up the family recipe book. We hope it becomes a favourite at your table too.

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