Greek Marinated Leg Of Lamb Food

LEG OF LAMB-BONELESS-GREEK STYLE

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the 1/2 cup lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Whisk well.
• Place lamb in a shallow baking dish and cover with marinade, turning to coat.
• Marinate for 3 hours or overnight, turning a few times.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Remove lamb and place on a roasting rack over a baking dish.
• Cook for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for another 40 minutes.
• Test for desired doneness.
• Remove lamb from oven, sprinkle reserved lemon juice over cooked meat, wrap in foil and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

GREEK LAMB MARINADE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Juice 2 lemons into a small bowl.
• Slowly drizzle olive oil into the lemon juice while whisking. This will help to emulsify the mixture.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
• Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before using.

GREEK BUTTERFLIED LAMB LEG

Steps:

• Mix marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
• Add lamb, massage bag well to get the marinade into all the meat cracks and crevices.
• Seal bag and marinate for 24 hours (3 hours minimum).
• Remove lamb from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking (to take fridge chill out for more even cooking).

GREEK GRILLED LEG OF LAMB: GYROS

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, make 20 slits across 1 side of the lamb and insert the garlic slivers. Place in a large non-reactive dish.
• In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour over the lamb and rub evenly across the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 and up to 6 hours, turning occasionally.
• Remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Season lightly on all sides with Essence. Brush a grill lightly with olive oil and preheat to medium heat.
• Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for medium-rare, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the grill and transfer to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest for 12 minutes before carving.
• Thinly slice the lamb and place the meat in the center of the pita breads. Top with Tzatziki Sauce and chopped tomatoes, and serve.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
• In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.

GREEK MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place lamb leg into a large resealable plastic bag. Make the marinade by combining in a medium bowl 3 tablespoons lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, 1/4 cup fresh oregano, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and mix well.
• Pour marinade over lamb, making sure the meat is completely coated. Seal bag well and place in the refrigerator. Marinate for 4 to 6 hours before grilling.
• Heat the grill to medium or medium-low if your grill runs hot. Remove lamb from​ the bag and discard the marinade. Thread lamb onto the spit and secure tightly.
• Place the spit on the grill and cook until the interior of the meat reaches 145 F, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Remove the lamb roast from the grill and from the rotisserie forks. Cover meat lightly with aluminum foil for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Carve the meat, arrange on a platter, and drizzle with herb dressing, serving the remaining dressing in a small pitcher or bowl on the side.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place 1/4 cup chopped oregano, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a dash of freshly ground black pepper into a blender or food processor and pulse until mixed well.
• Store any leftovers in a screw-top jar at room temperature or refrigerated. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.

GREEK LAMB WITH YOGURT MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine. Place the chops in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat. Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce.
• Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it's a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB, GREEK STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Under running water, trim the outer layer of fat from the lamb and blot dry. Allow the lamb to reach room temperature and squeeze the juice from the lemons over the lamb. Slice cloves of garlic, lengthwise.
• Put salt and pepper into a small container. Cut 6 small slots into each side of the leg of lamb, about 1-inch deep. Insert garlic slivers, followed by salt and pepper, into the lamb. Lightly sprinkle top of lamb with oregano. Pour the water into a roasting pan, add lamb, and cover with foil. Roast on lowest rack of oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove foil, lower heat to 375 degrees and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until lamb reaches desired temperature. Remove and let lamb stand about 30 minutes as the lamb continues to cook. To test the temperature of the meat, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the leg without touching the bone. For rare lamb, the thermometer should register 140 degrees. For medium, the thermometer should register 145 degrees.

BARBECUED GREEK LAMB WITH TZATZIKI

Steps:

• Mash the garlic to a paste with a pestle and mortar. Mix with the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and bay, and season with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Place the lamb in a large porcelain dish. Pour the marinade over the lamb and massage into the meat. Leave the lamb for at least 1 hr at room temperature, or longer in the fridge, but no longer than overnight or the meat will become too soft.
• To cook the lamb, fire up the barbecue, or heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. To cook on the barbecue, wait for the coals to turn ashen, then lay the lamb on the grill and cook for 15 mins on each side for meat that is pink, or 20 mins on each side for well done. To cook in the oven, place the lamb in a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 mins for pink or 40 mins for well done, turning the lamb halfway through. Leave the meat to rest for 10 mins before carving.
• Meanwhile, make the tzatziki. Coarsely grate the cucumber, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and squeeze out all the liquid. Tip into a bowl with the yogurt, garlic and mint, and mix well. Carve the lamb into thick slices and serve with the tzatziki wrapped up in warm flatbreads.

GREEK ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH POTATOES

Steps:

• Wash lamb well and pat dry.
• Finely chop 8 cloves of garlic and place in a glass dish or sturdy plastic bag large enough to hold the lamb.
• Stir in 4 tsps each of oregano and rosemary, 1/4 cup of the oil, the wine, zest and lemon juice.
• Place lamb in marinade, turning to coat well on all sides; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Crush remaining 6 cloves of garlic and stir together with remaining 2 tsps each oregano and rosemary.
• Remove lamb from marinade (keep marinade) and pierce in several places with the tip of a sharp knife.
• Rub garlic-herb-mustard mixture over lamb, pressing into incisions.
• Coat with remaining 2 tbsp of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
• Peel potatoes and cut into large wedges or like cottage fries (or if you are using small, new potatoes, leave them whole).
• Toss in the marinade kept from the lamb and 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil and pour all of this mixture into your pan, around the lamb.
• Roast, uncovered, in 190 degrees C (375 F) oven for 1 ½ hours, turn lamb over to make a crust on the other side, give potatoes a stir and continue to roast for another 45 minutes (total roasting time - 2 hours and 15 minutes).
• Greeks do not like to eat lamb anyway but well-done.
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding was SO WRONG when they showed the platter of (red-pink lamb being passed around).
• Do it the way you prefer in terms of timing, but this is the way it would be served here.
• Serve with plenty of crusty bread to dip into the pan juices, a large, leafy salad, and lots and lots of red wine!

GREEK GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Pound lamb until it is an even thickness.
• Place it in a shallow glass dish.
• Mix remaining ingredients until well-blended and pour over lamb.
• Turn meat in marinade, cover, and marinate in refrigerator overnight.
• Drain lamb and reserve marinade.
• Place meat on grill 6 inches above gray coals and grill for 40 to 45 minutes, brushing with marinade and turning every 10 minutes.
• Let lamb rest for 10 minutes.
• Cut meat into thin slices (lamb will be pink) and sprinkle with chopped fresh mint.

GREEK LAMB ROTISSERIE/GRILL METHODS

Steps:

• Cut excess fat from leg of lamb.
• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or baking dish large enough to accommodate the lamb and mix well. Message marinade into lamb making sure it is in everywhere. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning often.
• Remove from refrigerator to allow it to reach room temperature about 30 minutes.
• Preheat grill.
• Re-roll leg into a roast very tightly and tie.
• Place lamb on middle of the rotisserie skewer making sure it is balanced and secure.
• Reduce temperature to low. Cook for 2 hours brushing with remaining marinade every 1/2 hour.
• When the middle of the meat reaches a temperature of about 145 degrees remove from grill.
• Let a leg of lamb rest for 20 minutes before you start carving it up. This will even out the temperature, make sure it's completely done and allow the juices to flow back into the meat.
• Carve the meat, starting from the thick end and work our way down to the shank.
• Alternate cooking Method:.
• Start by grilling the leg over a medium high direct heat to sear the surface. This will give the meat a crusty surface and add texture. Turn every 5 minutes to sear the surface evenly. On the rotisserie you won't have to worry about this. Grill over this direct heat for about 15 minutes then move to indirect grilling and cut the temperature down to a medium heat. Watch for flare-ups during the direct grilling phase. The leg of lamb will need about 20 minutes per pound to cook so plan accordingly.

BARBA YIANNI'S GRILLED LAMB

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients together into a paste in a small bowl and rub it all over the lamb. Place the lamb in a shallow bowl and cover with any remaining marinade. Marinate for about 2 hours at room temperature, or, preferably, cover the lamb and marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning the meat from time to time.
• To grill lamb chops: Depending on their thickness, grill the chops over medium-hot coals for 3 to 5 minutes per side, turning once or twice. The chops should register 120° to 135°F at the thickest part for rare to medium rare. You can also broil them 3 inches from the flame for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked as above.
• To grill kebabs: Skewer the marinated lamb chunks on wooden or metal skewers, alternating with chunks of onions or peppers, if desired. Grill until the meat reaches 130° to 135°F for medium-rare to medium.
• To grill a lamb leg: You may want to insert long metal skewers crosswise in the butterflied leg to hold it flat. Grill the leg over medium-hot coals, turning often, for 20 to 30 minutes. At its thickest point, the meat should register 120° to 130°F for rare to medium-rare; thinner parts will them be medium-rare to medium. Let the lamb rest, covered loosely with foil, for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing on the diagonal and serving. The internal temperature will rise 5° to 10°F more.
• Meanwhile make theSkordalia . Serve with the lamb.

GREEK ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9. Pound the garlic, half the oregano, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar, then add the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Stab the lamb all over with a sharp knife, then push as much of the herb paste as you can into the holes.
• Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tin, then toss in the remaining olive oil and any remaining herb paste. Nestle the lamb amongst the potatoes, roast for 20 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Roast for 1 hr 15 mins for medium-rare, adding another 15 mins if you prefer your lamb medium. Baste the lamb once or twice with the juices and toss the potatoes. When the lamb is done to your liking, remove from the tin and let it rest. Throw the rest of the oregano in with the potatoes, scoop from the tin and keep warm.
• Place the roasting tin over a medium flame, add the canned tomatoes and olives to the pan juices, then simmer for a few mins. Serve the lamb with the potatoes and sauce and a simple salad.

CLASSIC GREEK ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH LEMON-GARLIC POTATOES

Steps:

• Trim the excess fat off the lamb and set aside.
• Finely chop the whole garlic head.
• Combine with the remaining marinade ingredients.
• Place the lamb in a large, deep container or baking dish and pour in the marinade.
• Turn the lamb in the marinade so that it is coated all over.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Using a mortar and pestle, crush the ingredients for the dry rub all together until they are pastelike in consistency.
• Remove the lamb from the marinade and discard the marinade.
• Make 10-15 small incisions all over its surface using a small, sharp paring knife.
• Stuff each of these little holes with the dry rub and rub whatever is left over the surface of the lamb.
• Season well with salt and pepper and rub the lamb with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Place the potatoes in a large roasting pan and toss with the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and oregano.
• Season well with salt and pepper.
• Place the lamb over the potatoes.
• Roast, frequently basting both the lamb and the potatoes with the pan juices for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, for a well-done leg.
• Add a little water to the pan during baking if necessary to keep the pan juices from drying out.
• Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before carving.
• Keep the potatoes in the turned off oven until ready to serve.