Australia's National Dish: Roast Lamb

Monday, 07 October 2013

Australia's National Dish: Roast Lamb

Officially, Australia does not have a national dish.

There are obviously some favourite foods when it comes to Australia. Meat pies, barbequed steak and sausages, and lamingtons immediately come to mind.

I would like to pitch for my personal favourite: roast lamb. This should be Australia's national dish. And no one does roast lamb as well as my wife and my mother.

My wife's version, which combines a number of individual favourites:

Wow, check this out:

A = Roast Lamb. Medium to well done, the way I like it. Marinated in olive oil, mixed herbs, paprika and pepper. Studded with garlic slices inserted in pockets in the lamb.

B = The start of 'Potatoes three ways'. My favourite vegetable dish, roast Tuscan potatoes, basted with olive oil, garlic and rosemary.

C = Roast sweet potatoes. basted with olive oil, garlic and rosemary.

D = Mashed potatoes. An historical left over from the days of fussy young children. But we love tradition, and it still tastes great.

E = My favourite salad, coleslaw. Cabbage, carrots, celery and onion in whole egg mayonnaise.

F = Gravy, made from the lamb's roasting juices. Used liberally.

G = 2 x Deep Sea Krill Oil capsules. The inclusion of this unique element transforms the entire dish into a fully certified 200% healthy meal, with exemption from all diets.

My mother's version, 'Nanie's roast lamb':

Wow, more yuminess:

A = Roast lamb, again medium to well done.

B = Tomato pie.

C = Beans Dunstan. Beans with leek. So tasty even children eat it even though it's green. So tasty I eat it even though it's green.

D = Potatoes dauphinoise.

E = Gravy. Used liberally.

Is there less meat in Nanie's version? Not really because I always have seconds. And thirds.

It goes without saying that both versions of roast lamb are washed down with generous quantities of an Australian red. I usually go for a Shiraz or a Cabernet Sauvignon. What a great national dish!