Leg Of Lamb Stuffed With Mushrooms And Chevre Food

LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHEVRE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pound lamb out to about 1 1/2 inches thick.
• In a large saute pan heat butter over med heat and saute mushrooms until soft. Set mushrooms aside until later.
• Season lamb liberally with salt and pepper.
• Layer lamb with shallots, chevre and criminis.
• Roll the lamb into a log and tie with butchers twine.
• In a large saute pan, heat oil over med-high heat and sear lamb on all sides.
• Place lamb on wire rack with baking sheet underneath. Roast for about an hour until internal temp is reached (140 for rare, 170 for well done, I usually go about 155 and it's nice and pink but not bloody).
• Let the lamb rest about 10 minute to prevent juice from running and it drying out.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
• Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
• In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
• Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

LAMB LEG STEAK WITH MAPLE CHEVRE SHIITAKE SAUCE

Steps:

• Salt and pepper lamb leg steak.
• Grill or broil (approx).
• Prepare sauce: Sauté sliced shiitake mushrooms in olive oil (approx), add leaves of rosemary, deglaze pan with wine, rid alcohol (smell will go from dry to sweet), add flour to make roux.
• Lower heat to low.
• Add diced parts of chevre.
• Continue stirring mixture until cheese is integrated.
• After cheese is fully incorporated into sauce add capers and maple syrup.
• Stir through.
• Serve (I like garlic smashed potatoes and broccoli).

LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND GREENS

Steps:

• Cook Swiss chard in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Squeeze chard dry, then finely chop enough to measure 1 1/2 cups. Transfer to large bowl.
• Melt butter with 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add wild mushrooms, onion and 1 minced garlic clove and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Cool. Transfer to bowl with chard. Add breadcrumbs, cream, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 1 tablespoon thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and mix to blend. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate. Before continuing, stir mushroom stuffing in skillet over medium-high heat until just lukewarm.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Open butterflied lamb like book and place cut side up on work surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix veal and egg into mushroom stuffing. Spread evenly over lamb; press to adhere. Starting at narrow end, roll up lamb tightly, enclosing filling. Fasten ends with poultry skewers. Rub outside of lamb with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then with remaining 1/2 tablespoon rosemary, and 1/2 tablespoon thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie lamb with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals to hold shape. Using small sharp knife, cut several 1-inch-deep slits in top of lamb, spacing apart; insert 1 garlic slice into each slit. Place lamb on rack in roasting pan.
• Roast lamb to desired doneness or until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 135°F to 140°F for medium-rare, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Cover with foil and let stand 15 minutes. Remove skewers and string. Cut lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on platter.

BREAST OF LAMB STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• The pockets for stuffing the breasts should be as deep as possible. If you want to increase the depth, run a long knife inside the pockets and make the pockets deeper without cutting through the meat. Set aside.
• Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they give up their liquid. Cook until the liquid evaporates. Add half of the thyme and stir.
• Put the ground lamb in a mixing bowl and add the mushroom mixture, half of the parsley and the egg. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Stuff the pocket of each breast with the meat mixture, pushing it in compactly from the opening to the rear of each pocket.
• Using a trussing or other needle, sew up the opening of each breast to hold the stuffing. Sprinkle each breast all over with salt and pepper. Place the breasts meaty side up in a baking dish and brush with oil. Scatter the halved or quartered onion around the breasts.
• Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue baking 15 minutes.
• Pour off the fat from around the meat. Sprinkle the remaining one-quarter cup of chopped parsley and the remaining one-half teaspoon thyme over the breasts. Dot with the remaining two tablespoons butter.
• Return the breasts to the oven and bake five minutes longer. Remove string. Serve carved in four to six pieces.