Spring Lamb and Easter.
They do seem to go together, don't they?
Growing up we always had ham.
But here, the markets are chock-a-block with lamb: legs, shoulders, saddles, from France, from New Zealand....
Now we have lamb.
I've never been a fan of the bright green mint jelly that so often appears with lamb (Mint sauce, now, that I like)
But I dearly love beans or lentils with lamb.
These are simmered with sage and rosemary, then stirred into the pan juices from the roasted lamb.
I used a partially boned saddle of lamb that weighed 28oz (850gr), for a bone-in leg you'd want about closer to the 3 lbs (1.5kilo)
Please, if you roast a leg or shoulder of lamb, use a meat thermometer. This is usually an expensive cut of meat and it's a shame to not have it cooked properly - and overcooked lamb, like any meat, can be tough....
Rosy lamb is sublime....
1 piece of lamb for roasting, leg, shoulder, saddle, 1.5 - 2.5 lb, (800-1500 gr) depending on bone 900gr, 32oz, lean, well-trimmed leg shank roast
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic 8gr, .28oz
1 19oz (600gr) can cannellini (white kidney beans), about 2 cups beans 360gr, 12.7oz, drained, rinsed
1 leek 80gr, 2.8oz
1 small carrot 60gr, 2.1oz
1 rib celery 50gr, 1.8oz
2 cloves garlic 8gr, .28oz
2 tsp olive oil 9gr, .32oz
1 tbs dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 3/4 cups whole tomatoes 425gr, 15oz
2 tbs white wine 30gr, 1oz
2 tbs chicken stock 28gr, 1oz
Lamb: Peel and cut garlic into slivers, 10 - 12 in all. Make slits all over the lamb with the point of a sharp knife. Insert a sliver of garlic into each slit. Sprinkle with rosemary. Place the lamb in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it easily. Roast in 450F (230C) oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400F (200C) and roast for another 15 minutes per pound, or until done to your liking. If the pan juices start to burn add a couple of tbs of hot water. Use a meat thermometer, if you have one and roast to 130F (54C) for rosy or cut and peak. When done, remove the lamb, cover loosely with foil and let rest. Add beans and stock to pan, scraping and stirring with a spatula to get all the browned bits.
White Beans: Clean and slice leek. Chop celery, carrot and mince garlic. Drain beans. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add leeks, celery, carrot and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add herbs and beans. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice/sauce for soup. Roughly chop tomatoes and add to beans. Cover reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until carrots are tender. When lamb is done remove from pan and add the beans to lamb roasting pan along with chicken stock and wine. Stir to loosen the brown bits and combine flavors.
To Serve: Spoon beans onto a platter. Slice some of the lamb, arrange on beans, along with the rest of the roast and serve.
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Entire Recipe / per serving serves 4
Calories:
2461
/ 615
Total Carbohydrates: 133 / 33
Dietary Fiber: 32 / 8
Total Fat: 116 / 29
Saturated
Fat: 46 / 11.5
Cholesterol: 608 / 152
Protein:
214
/ 53.5
Calcium: 640 / 160
Sodium:
2149 / 537
I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it. I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.
For more recipes check out my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners
