If there’s one chef who could command a holiday table with authority, it’s Gordon Ramsay. The Hell’s Kitchen star is passionate and no-nonsense and his love for food is palpable—even through a screen.
As much as we enjoy watching him offer, um, feedback to budding chefs, we might enjoy watching him do cooking demos even more. And when we were looking around for an Easter-worthy centerpiece, we ran across a video of Ramsay making his stuffed lamb with spinach and pine nuts, along with other Easter Sunday favorites.
Commenters on the YouTube video couldn’t wait to make this dish, saying “This recipe looks amazing 😍😍”. “Cooked this recipe today…It looked exactly the same. Just a perfect combination of ingredients. As you always say, so simple and delicious,” added another. Another fan simply said, “It’s hard not to love Gordon.” They’re not wrong. Let’s dive into this recipe so you can get to the grocery store and pick up what you need for a next-level holiday main.
Ingredients for Gordon Ramsay’s Easter Lamb
This recipe leans on just a handful of fresh, punchy ingredients that do a lot with a little. For the lamb, you’ll need onion, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, spinach, feta cheese, a boned saddle of lamb (lamb sirloin, lamb loin or a boneless leg of lamb will also work), sumac, sea salt and black pepper. To make the dressing, grab a cucumber, as well as some yogurt, mint, pomegranate molasses, lemon zest and a lime. You’re also going to need a sauté pan and a roasting pan, plus some butcher’s twine for tying up the lamb.
How to Make Gordon Ramsay’s Easter Lamb
You can find the full recipe on Ramsay’s website, but it’s worth watching the video and taking some notes (as we did). Here’s the general process of putting this showstopping dish together.
Start by sautéing the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add the pine nuts in and make sure they get a bit toasty, then add in your fresh spinach. Ramsay is very clear here: sautéing the spinach instead of steaming it gives it way more flavor, and he’s absolutely right. When the spinach is wilted (this will happen quickly), add in the feta, which adds a salty, creamy sharpness and really pulls the stuffing together.
Next comes the lamb. Open up the meat and get your stuffing ready. Ramsay says to make sure to season the lamb generously with salt, pepper and sumac—the Middle Eastern spice that Ramsay calls a “wonderful lemony spice.” It’s available at most major markets and pairs beautifully with lamb. Spoon the stuffing down the center of the meat, making sure to load up the ends because some of it is going to try and escape when you roll it up (this is to be expected, so don’t stress too much if and when it happens).
Ramsay does a clever envelope fold before tying the meat at the sides and in the center with butcher’s twine. Then, here’s a key step: the lamb goes in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or overnight if you’re ahead of the game). This step helps the roast brown better and will help it stay neat in the oven. Don’t skip this step!
To “kickstart the roasting process,” Ramsay sears the outside of the stuffed lamb in a hot pan, browning it all over before it goes into a 375° oven for 45 to 55 minutes, depending on the weight of your lamb and how pink you like it. Once the roast is done, Ramsay pulls out a genius move: He places a pot lid inside the roasting pan and rests the lamb on top. This stops the cooking process without letting the meat cool down too quickly.
While the lamb is resting, it’s time to make the sauce. To make it, mix together yogurt, shredded mint, cucumber (make sure to deseed it—no one wants watery dressing), pomegranate molasses, lemon zest and a squeeze of lime. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. The creamy, cool, tangy and just-sweet-enough sauce is a delicious contrast to the rich lamb.
When it’s time to carve, simply cut along the lines of the string to reveal the beautifully browned, perfectly seasoned lamb (and get ready for all the oohs and aahs, of course).
This Easter lamb proves that bold, beautiful and made-to-impress doesn’t need to include a thousand steps—just a bit of searing, a sprinkle of seasonings and Gordon Ramsay’s signature flair. So serve it up, take a bow and let the lamb do all the talking.
