Easy Provencal Lamb Food

EASY PROVENçAL LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Place the leg of lamb in a large roasting pan fat side up and pat it dry with paper towels. Combine the mustard, 1 tablespoon of garlic, the rosemary, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a mini food processor and pulse until the garlic and rosemary are minced. Spread the mixture on the lamb.
• Place the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/4 cup of the honey, the onion, the remaining 1 tablespoons garlic, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a bowl and toss well. Pour the tomato mixture around the lamb and tuck in the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the lamb with the remaining 1/4 cup of honey.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and roast for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare. Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Discard the herb stems and return the tomatoes to the oven to keep warm. Slice the lamb, arrange on a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve with the tomatoes and pan juices spooned on top.

PROVENçAL RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
• Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir together with herbs and 1 tablespoon oil.
• Put tomatoes cut sides up in an oiled small baking dish and drizzle with a third of garlic mixture. Roast until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pat lamb dry and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown lamb on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and discard oil from skillet.
• Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat and cook shallots and potatoes, stirring occasionally, until edges are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in water and half of remaining garlic mixture and remove from heat.
• Rub remaining garlic mixture on fat side of lamb racks. Arrange lamb over potatoes and roast in oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F for medium-rare, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let stand, loosely covered, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with tomatoes.

EASY PROVENCAL LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Dry leg of lamb with paper towels. Place the leg of lamb in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Combine the mustard, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (4 cloves), rosemary, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and pulse until the garlic and rosemary are minced. Spread the mixture evenly over the lamb.
• Place tomatoes, olives (if using), olive oil, 1/4 cup of honey, onion, remaining garlic, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a bowl and toss well. Pour the tomato mixture around the lamb and tuck in the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the lamb with the remaining 1/4 cup of honey.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350°F and roast for another 60 to 75 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135°F for medium-rare. Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Discard the herb stems and return the tomatoes to the oven to keep warm. Slice the lamb, arrange on a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve with the tomatoes and pan juices spooned over.

SLOW PROVENCAL LAMB

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 300 degrees F\150 degrees C.
• Sprinkle the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Heat a spoonful or two of the oil in a cocotte (Dutch oven) and brown the meat well on both sides, about 15 minutes per side. Remove the meat.
• Add another spoonful of the oil and cook the onions until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. While the onions are browning, peel, quarter and seed the tomatoes over a sieve set over a bowl to catch the juices. Reserve the tomatoes for later. Pour the juice into a 2 cup/500 ml measuring cup and add enough wine to fill. Deglaze the onions with the veal stock, stirring up the good bits from the bottom. Then add the wine and tomato juice mixture. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and garlic. Wet a piece of parchment paper and lay it over the meat, cover and bake 1 hour 30 minutes.
• While the lamb cooks, salt the eggplant and set in a colander to drain, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Meanwhile, roast the red peppers. Once the lamb has cooked 1 hour 30 minutes, add the eggplant, tomatoes and peppers, cover and cook for another 1 hour.
• Increase the heat to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C. Remove the lid and the parchment, add the zucchini and cook a further 45 minutes uncovered.
• For serving: Remove from the oven. Remove the herbs. Spoon the lamb onto plates, with the sauce spooned over.

PROVENçAL LEG OF LAMB WITH POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large saucepan, bring the potatoes, salt and milk to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally so the potatoes do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring from time to time, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Combine the parsley and garlic and sprinkle half into a large oval gratin dish, measuring about 16 by 10 by 2 inches. Spoon the potato-and-milk mixture into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and garlic mixture.
• Carefully trim the fat from the lamb. Season with salt and pepper and place the lamb on top of the potatoes. Roast, uncovered, about one hour, or from eight to 10 minutes per pound. Do not turn the lamb.
• Combine the ingredients for the herb crust. After the lamb has been roasting for about 45 minutes, sprinkle the meat with the herb, garlic and bread-crumb mixture. Remove from the oven and let sit 20 minutes before serving.
• To serve, carve the lamb into thin slices and arrange on warmed dinner plates or on a serving platter, with the potatoes alongside.

LEG OF LAMB WITH PROVENCAL SEASONING

Steps:

• Heat oil in small skillet, add onion, garlic and peppers, and saute until vegetables are tender. Stir in olives, teaspoon of thyme, the fennel, parsley and bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Trim as much fat as possible from lamb and spread herb-andbread-crumb mixture over inside of meat. Roll meat into neat cylinder and tie at inch intervals with butcher string. Also make one tie length of roast so it will hold its shape. (You may also prepare herb mixture in advance and give it to butcher to spread on meat before it is tied for you).
• Place lamb in pan and roast until internal temperature of 120 degrees is registered on meat thermometer inserted in middle, or about 20 minutes a pound for total roasting time of 1 hour 10 minutes. Lamb will be medium-rare; increase or decrease cooking time according to individual taste.
• Remove lamb from oven and set on carving board or platter to rest for 10 minutes.
• Drain fat from roasting pan. Add wine, stock and tomatoes to pan and cook over medium heat, scraping particles from bottom of pan, until sauce is slightly reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme.
• Carve roast and arrange slices on warmed serving platter and cover to keep warm. Pour any juices from carving board into sauce. Reheat sauce to simmering and, over low heat, add soft butter, whisking it in bit by bit, until sauce is somewhat thickened, glossy and very smooth. Do not allow sauce to come to boil. Pour a little sauce over sliced meat and serve rest alongside.