The whole roast dinner on one tray — no saucepan orchestra required

The traditional roast dinner has a staffing problem: four pots going at once and a cook who never sits down. This version sacks the saucepans. Potatoes, pumpkin and red onion go onto your biggest tray, the lamb sits right on top of them, and everything roasts together in one oven window — the vegetables catching every drop the lamb lets go, which is the best seasoning they'll ever get. One tray in, one tray out, and one very short washing-up list. The roast dinner, minus the roster.

2 hrs 6 servings Prep 20 minsCook 1 hr 40 minsMain CourseAustralian

Ingredients

  • 1 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb roast (approx 1.5kg, leg or shoulder)
  • 800g potatoes, halved
  • 600g pumpkin, cut into thick wedges (skin on is fine)
  • 2 red onions, quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Toss the potatoes, pumpkin, onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the oil and a good pinch of salt on your biggest roasting tray — one layer, not a pile.

800g potatoes600g pumpkin2 red onions4 cloves garlic

Pat the lamb dry, rub it with the last tablespoon of oil, season it well on every side and tuck the rosemary underneath it. Clear a space in the middle of the tray and sit the lamb straight on the tray, vegetables around it.

1 lamb roast3 sprigs rosemary1 tbsp olive oil

Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes, turning the vegetables once at the halfway mark. For medium lamb, a thermometer in the thickest part should read 57–60°C when you pull it — it climbs to 60–63°C in the rest.

Move the lamb to a warm plate, cover it loosely with foil and rest it for 20 minutes.

While the lamb rests, turn the oven up to 220°C and give the vegetables 15 more minutes to crisp and colour in the lamb drippings.

Carve the lamb across the grain, pile it back over the vegetables, squeeze the soft roasted garlic out of its skins into the tray juices, and bring the whole tray to the table.

Appears in

Lamb Share A only — Roast (~1.5kg)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed lamb share — Pack B selection of pasture-raised lamb cuts, vacuum-sealed, NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Pastured Lamb Share
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The Logic of the One-Tray Roast

Roasting the lamb directly among the vegetables isn't just about washing-up — it's better cooking. Everything a roast releases as it cooks lands on the potatoes and pumpkin instead of a bare pan, and lamb fat is the frying medium your vegetables have been waiting for their whole lives. The one rule that makes or breaks it: space. Use the biggest tray you own and keep everything in a single layer, because crowded vegetables steam instead of roast. The roast itself — a leg or shoulder of about 1.5kg from a Your Farmer® quarter-lamb share — is treated exactly as it would be solo: hot oven, thermometer to 57–60°C, proper rest. The vegetables simply come along for the ride, then get their crisping blast while the meat rests.

Swaps and Variations

Carrots and parsnips slot straight in alongside or instead of the pumpkin. Sweet potato cooks faster than the rest, so add it at the halfway turn. A head of broccoli or some green beans can join the tray for the final crisping blast — 15 minutes at 220°C chars them nicely. If your spuds matter to you (they should), our regeneratively grown potatoes roast like a dream. And when the beef share is what's in the freezer, the same tray logic works — our Sunday beef roast shows the timing for that animal.

Storage and Leftovers

Store lamb and vegetables separately — the meat keeps 3–4 days in the fridge, the vegetables 3 days, and sliced lamb freezes for up to 2 months. The vegetables reheat best in a hot oven or a frying pan, never the microwave, which softens all that hard-won crispness. The great next-day move is a roast dinner hash: chop the leftover vegetables and lamb, crisp them in a pan, and put a fried egg on top. Nobody has ever complained about it.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my vegetables come out soft instead of crisp?

Almost always crowding — vegetables piled on top of each other steam in their own moisture. Use the biggest tray you have, keep one layer, and don't skip the final 15 minutes at 220°C while the lamb rests. That blast is where the crunch comes from.

Do I need a roasting rack under the lamb?

No — sitting the lamb straight on the tray among the vegetables is the point. The underside braises gently in the juices while the top roasts, and the vegetables collect everything in between.

My roast is bigger or smaller than 1.5kg — how do I adjust?

Allow roughly 25 minutes per 500g at 200°C for medium, and trust a thermometer over the clock: pull the lamb at 57–60°C in the thickest part. The vegetable timing doesn't change.

Can I add green vegetables to the tray?

Yes, but late. Beans, broccolini or halved brussels sprouts go in for the final crisping stage while the lamb rests — 15 minutes at 220°C is exactly what they want. Any earlier and they'll scorch.

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