With three kids under the age of 13 at my place, Mother’s Day is an important day that requires all hands on deck, but luckily with the three of them I’ve got plenty of help and enthusiasm in making it a special day for my wife Shannon. Bailee, 13, Cohen, 6, and Mylee, 4, all love getting involved and helping create something special in the kitchen for their mum.
At our place, Mother’s Day usually starts early in the kitchen with us whipping up a special breakfast in bed for Shannon. The simple aim of our day is to make her as happy as possible.
However, this year I’ll be at the Mother’s Day Classic, so we’ll look to mix things up a bit.
The Mother’s Day Classic is held at The Tan annually and raises awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
I haven’t been involved before, so I’m really looking forward to getting out and meeting the great people who get involved to raise money for such an important cause.
With my own mum over in Adelaide, I won’t be able to spoil her on the day, but given I’m on Channel 7’s Game Day in the morning I’ll use the national broadcast to send her my Mother’s Day wishes (which should win me a few brownie points).
While the roast is cooking I’ll give Shannon a bit of a break and take the kids to the footy oval.
Once I’m home I’ll be making amends for making Shannon get her own brekky; I’ve been planning a home cooked dinner instead.
My kitchen skills aren’t broad, but I can do a great lamb roast. So I’m planning to whip up a bit of a roast feast, with some help from the kids. They love to get involved in the kitchen, and we’ve got a thermomix, which is great as it’s so easy to use that the kids can really get involved in the cooking and they feel like they get to contribute to the day.
While the roast is cooking I’ll give Shannon a bit of a break and take the kids to the footy oval. We’re really fortunate to have an oval and playground right near us, which definitely helps us all burn off a bit of energy. The kids love their footy so I usually set them up some drills and create a bit of competition to keep it interesting – making sure I find the right balance to ensure that the kids, who are all at different ages, can learn about fairness and giving each other an opportunity to win.
We start with a bit of triangular kick to kick, making sure we rotate direction often to ensure the kids all feel they have a proper chance of hitting targets and marking the ball (perhaps unfairly on Mylee, the boys don’t favour having her kick to them). We also have some set shots at the goals to see who can get the most.
Once we’re worn out we’ll head home to pull the roast out the oven and carve it up. We’re looking forward to it.
Ingredients
- 1.6kg leg of lamb
- 3 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
- 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
- 1kg chat potatoes, halved
- 300g (2 cups) frozen baby peas
- 20g butter
- 2 tablespoons shredded fresh mint
Wine gravy
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 375ml (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock
- 125ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut six slits, 2cm deep and 2cm long, into the lamb. Press one piece of garlic into each slit. Place the lamb in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle evenly with rosemary and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven For 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place the potato, in a single layer, around the lamb. Drizzle the remaining oil over the potato. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for a further 1 hour for medium or until cooked to your liking.
- Meanwhile, cook peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Drain and return to pan. Add the butter and mint and toss to combine.
- Transfer the lamb to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Turn potato and roast in oven for a further 10 minutes or until crisp. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- To make the gravy, place the roasting pan over high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture bubbles. Gradually add the stock and wine, and cook, scraping the pan to dislodge any bits that have cooked onto the base, for 5-8 minutes or until the gravy thickens.
- Thickly slice the lamb across the grain. Serve with potato, peas and gravy.
Recipe from taste.com.au