Low Carb Roast Lamb: A Full Sunday Roast Without the Spuds
In short
You don’t have to give up the Sunday roast on low carb. Most of the plate is already low carb; it’s the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings that bring the big carb hit. I rub a leg of our own lamb with olive oil, fresh rosemary, sea salt and black pepper, then roast it in a medium oven (160–180°C) for about 2 hours and rest it. On the side: swede (rutabaga) mash blitzed with butter, cream, salt and pepper, cabbage and bacon fried in olive oil and butter, steamed broccolini, a few peas and carrots, and homemade mint sauce made from chopped fresh mint and malt vinegar.
Key points
- Most of a roast is already low carb. The meat, cabbage, broccoli and bacon are fine. It’s the spuds and Yorkshire puddings that carry the carbs, so swap those and you’re most of the way there.
- Simple lamb, slow cook. Olive oil, fresh rosemary from the garden, sea salt and black pepper, then a medium oven at about 160–180°C for a good 2 hours. Timings will vary with the size of your joint.
- Use a meat thermometer and rest it. I pulled mine when it ticked into medium and let it rest. A little pink is fine with lamb; you don’t want it dry. If it’s too under, pop it back in for a bit longer.
- Swede makes the mash. Peel, cube and boil until soft, then blitz with a big knob of butter, about a third of a cup of heavy cream, salt and pepper. A bit of almond flour will thicken it if you want it more like mashed potato.
- Cabbage and bacon is the star veg. Fry the bacon in a slosh of olive oil, add the cabbage and a knob of butter, and lid it to steam faster. Nothing like the boiled-for-two-days cabbage of my nan’s day.
- Carrots and peas are borderline. By my carb guide, carrots run about 9.6g of carbs per 100g and peas about 9g. A small portion split between two people is only a couple of grams each, so I keep them to a few.
- Make your own mint sauce. Finely chop a generous handful of fresh mint, add a good slosh of malt vinegar, and let it sit for about 10 minutes before drizzling it over the lamb.
- Gravy is a small compromise. It doesn’t really need it, but I add a little drizzle of instant gravy granules. Thickening the meat juices yourself means cornflour anyway.
Who doesn’t love a Sunday roast? In this video I cook a leg of our own homegrown lamb the low carb way, with all the trimmings: swede mash in place of potatoes, cabbage and bacon, steamed broccolini, peas and carrots, and a homemade mint sauce. It’s the roast I grew up with in England, and I still have it now. You really don’t miss out.
Method in brief
You’ll need: a leg of lamb, olive oil, fresh rosemary (or dried), sea salt and black pepper; a swede (rutabaga), butter, heavy cream; bacon, cabbage, broccolini, a carrot and a few peas; a bunch of fresh mint and malt vinegar; and gravy if you want it.
- Lamb: rub the leg with olive oil, scatter over rosemary, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast in a medium oven (about 160–180°C / 320–350°F) for around 2 hours, depending on size. Check with a meat thermometer, then rest it.
- Swede mash: peel and cube the swede, boil in water until soft, drain, then blend with a big knob of butter, about ⅓ cup of heavy cream, salt and pepper. Add a little almond flour if you want it thicker.
- Cabbage and bacon: fry the bacon in a slosh of olive oil until it colours, add the cabbage and a knob of butter, then lid it to steam until tender.
- Greens: simmer the sliced carrot and peas in about an inch and a half of water with the broccolini in a steamer tray on top.
- Mint sauce: finely chop the mint, cover with a good slosh of malt vinegar and leave for about 10 minutes.
- Plate up: carve the lamb, add the mash, cabbage and veg, drizzle the mint sauce over the lamb and finish with a little gravy if you like.
Why it works
A roast is mostly meat and veg already, so the only real job is replacing the potatoes. Swede mash does that nicely, and the cabbage and bacon adds the comfort. The carrots and peas bring a few carbs, so keep those portions small and you’ve still got a properly low carb plate.
The swede mash has its own video: low carb mashed potato. If you’re after more hearty dinners, try my Philly cheese steak casserole, low carb eggplant lasagna and cabbage carbonara. To check which veg sit in the green, amber or red zone, grab the free Carb Guide, and see what can you eat on a low carb diet.
New to all this? Watch my story and how I lost 23kg in four months.
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Not medical advice. I'm not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist, just a bloke telling the story of what worked for me. Check with your doctor before changing your diet or medication.
