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Roast crown of lamb with jewelled rice

We’ve harvested Persian flavours to create a spicy twist on the traditional Christmas lamb roast.

The crown of lamb makes a comeback: all hail the king! Our rice is packed full of nuts, seeds, and crispy onions, which not only make it a great side dish, but also a fabulous base for salads with any leftovers. It’s actually very simple to prepare. Lamb crown is available from supermarkets and butchers.

Serves 6 m Ready in 30 minutes, plus resting

1 lamb crown, weighing 2 to 2,5kg 2tsp za’atar blend

for the stuffing:

50g butter
pinch of saffron
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
1tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
zest and juice of 1 orange
350g basmati rice, cooked
50g each pistachios and almonds handful of fresh parsley, mint and dill, chopped
3tsp concentrated
lamb liquid stock

for the dressing:

60ml olive oil
2tbsp sherry vinegar
2tbsp pomegranate concentrate
3tbsp crispy onion sprinkles
2tbsp black sesame seeds
125g pomegranate rubies pea shoots, to serve

1 Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan. Rub the lamb crown with the za’atar and season well with salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes (20 for rare, 25 for medium).

For the stuffing, heat the butter with the saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, chilli (if using),