Can I CooK The Baby Aubergines With Red Onion And Butterflied Leg Of Lamb At The Same Temperature?

Asked by bjw10. Answered on 25th September 2026

Full question

I recently re-watched the Nigellissima episode where Nigella cooked the Baby Aubergines with Red Onion at the same time as the Butterflied Leg of Lamb. These both require different oven temperatures, so what temperature/timings did she use to cook them both in the same oven?

By the way, the Aubergine recipe is fantastic. We often get tempted to buy aubergines, because they look so fantastic, but then struggle for a good way to cook them. Not any more. This recipe is an absolute winner.

Butterflied Leg of Lamb With Bay Leaves and Balsamic Vinegar

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Butterflied Leg Of Lamb With Bay Leaves And Balsamic Vinegar and Baby Aubergines With Oregano And red Onions (both from NIGELLISSIMA are both cooked in hot ovens. In the recipes, tha aubergines are cooked at a higher temperature than the lamb.

In the TV show of Nigellissima, the two are shown as being cooked in the same oven and for many people this will be a more practical option. You should use the slightly lower of the two oven temperatures (ie the temperature for the lamb of 220c/200c fan/425F/gas mark 7). The lamb needs to cook for 30 minutes at this temperature and the aubergines are likely to need 20-25 minutes at this temperature to become soft and golden. If the aubergines are not quite done when the lamb has finished cooking then you can turn the oven up to 250c/230c fan/450F/gas mark 9 and give the aubergines an extra few minutes in a hotter oven. However, watch them aubergines carefully as they will colour quite quickly at the higher temperature.