Martha Stewart Living (April 2011)
Over the past week, hints of spring have popped up all around us. Tulips are seemingly everywhere and freshly planted pansies are settling into the yards on our street. Asparagus and ramps have made their debut at our farmers market. And the seedlings in our own garden are starting to resemble actual plants.
So when we had a friend over for dinner last week, we wanted to showcase spring. So we decided to try a lamb dish. After all, they're bountiful in this month's magazines, as we saw in our latest covers gallery.
Though we loved the idea of the Garlic Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb from Food & Wine and the Lamb Chops with Lemon from Bon Appétit, we were most intrigued by this recipe for Butterflied, Rolled and Roasted Leg of Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce from Martha Stewart Living.
We've been around the seasonal block enough times to tell you that spring is primetime for lamb, but the recipe's author -- Lucinda Scala Quinn (she of our Chicken Chili and Vinegar Glossed Chicken raves) -- uses this recipe to introduce us to a new spring combination.
For Lucinda, it's not just lamb, but the combination of lamb and artichokes that announces spring. As she says in the article, they're "made for each other." Well these two Southern boys have very little experience with artichokes, so it was news to us! And really, who are we to argue with the combined wisdom of Lucinda and Martha?
First, we had to find lamb.
As we've mentioned many times, we have two meat-centric culinary resolutions for this year: Eat less meat, but also eat higher-quality meat. So we went to our farmers market in search of lamb for this dish. We found some beautiful lamb from one vendor, Eco-Friendly Farms. We'll admit that we paid a significant price ($40) for a 3-pound leg of lamb that had been boned and butterflied.
It seemed like a lot of money when we bought it and, well, it is a lot of money. But it was exactly what we wanted: a high-quality cut of lamb from a local, reputable source. In total, we probably spent $50 on this entree and we got 5 meals out of it. Plus, with its hearty stuffing, this dish does double-duty as both an entree and a side.
We bring up the price here not to brag about how much we spent on lamb, or to tout some sort of virtuous shopping. Rather, we share it because it has been one of the consequences of our resolution. It's a resolution, by the way, that we're not following to a tee. We still buy our fair share of meat from the supermarket, but less than we were this time last year.
Though our biggest potential obstacle here was finding the right cut of lamb, artichokes posed their own issue. When we went to our neighborhood supermarket to get artichokes, they only had a handful. And they looked, well, like something you wouldn't want to eat: a little beat-up and looking as if they were left over from last spring. So we opted to buy frozen artichoke hearts. This seemed like the second best option to us, especially given that they were going to be chopped up in the food processor and added to the stuffing. (We did also find artichoke hearts that had been packed in either brine or oil in the store's international aisle. But we'd recommend against using these, as the brine or oil may add unwanted flavor to the stuffing.)
After the shopping was finished, the easy part was the cooking. You first make a simple stuffing in the food processor using the artichokes, garlic, bread crumbs, pancetta (we subbed in bacon here), mint and Parmesan cheese.
That stuffing is then laid on top of the lamb that has been flayed out, and then the meat is rolled up, tied, and then roasted on a rack. On the side is an easy mint sauce -- essentially a vinaigrette -- that you make (and shake!) in a jar.
We. Loved. This. Lamb!
The meat itself is tender and flavorful, and the stuffing is packed with flavor. Though we had been dubious about the addition of artichokes to the stuffing (and had even considered
a substitution, like sunchokes), we loved them here.
The mint sauce here is delicious: After all, lamb and mint make for a classic combo. But forget thoughts of mint jelly, with its sickly sweet onslaught of toothpaste-y mint. This sauce is a sharp, tangy, fresh vinaigrette, and it's fantastic.
We served this lamb with a potato dish and some baby carrots. We think it would also be delicious served just with a simple side salad, since the stuffing is so substantial.
Our guest for dinner that night actually doesn't eat much meat (which we didn't know until she arrived. Whoops! We should have asked!). But she gamely tried -- and loved -- the lamb.
This meal happened to coincide with the first really warm night we've had this year, which meant that we were able to eat outside.
It was the perfect way to celebrate the true arrival of spring, and no doubt made this dish taste even better.
Butterflied, Rolled and Roasted Leg of Lamb
Martha Stewart Living (April 2011)
Subscribe to Martha Stewart Living
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Serves 8 to 10
4 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced and finely chopped
Steamed garlic cloves (recipe below)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
1/2 cup fresh plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 artichoke hearts, finely chopped
1 leg of lamb, bone removed (7 to 8 pounds), butterflied
Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing
2 cups water
Fresh mint sauce (recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pulse pancetta, garlic, cheese, breadcrumbs, mint, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper in a food processor until combined. Add artichokes. Pulse a few times, keeping mixture chunky.
2. Lay lamb flat on a work surface, skin side down. Season with salt. Spread artichoke mixture over top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Tightly roll lamb, and tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals to hold.
3. Rub lamb with oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack, and add water to pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer reaches 130 degrees to 135 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Serve with mint sauce.
Steamed Garlic Cloves
Martha Stewart Living (April 2011)
Add 1 whole head of garlic to 1 cup boiling water. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool. Peel and mash.
Fresh-Mint Sauce
Martha Stewart Living (April 2011)
Finely chop 1 bunch fresh mint; transfer to a jar. Add 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Shake to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use (up to 1 month).
