Leg Of Lamb With Chorizo Stuffing Romesco Potatoes And Black Olives Food

PERFECT ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Bring the leg of lamb to room temp. Take the leg of lamb out of the refrigerator and leave in room temperature for about 1 hour. In the meantime, prepare the remaining ingredients and make the lamb rub.
• Prepare the seasoning. To make the rub or seasoning, in a food processor, combine the rub ingredients. Blend until smooth. Set aside (or in the fridge, if preparing in advance).
• Salt the meat. When ready, pat the lamb dry and make a few slits on both sides. Season with salt and pepper.
• Sear the Lamb. Turn the oven on broil. Place the leg of lamb on a wire rack and put it directly on the top rack so that it's only a few inches away from the broiler element. Broil for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the leg of lamb is nicely seared. Remove from the oven, then adjust the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Apply the seasoning or rub. When the lamb is cool enough to handle, insert the garlic slices in the slits you made earlier. Now cover the leg of lamb on all sides with the wet rub and place it in the middle of a roasting pan with an inside rack. Add two cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub lamb inside and out with garlic clove. Stuff leg of lamb and tie securely; sprinkle meat with rosemary.
• Put stuffed lamb on a rack and roast for 1 3/4 hours to 2 hours or until meat is 135 to 140 degrees. Remove from oven as you finish sauce.
• Discard fat in roasting pan. Add wine and broth and reduce. Add tomatoes and olives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat add parsley.

LEG OF LAMB WITH CHORIZO STUFFING, ROMESCO POTATOES, AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• Place the lamb in a baking dish and coat it well on all sides with the smashed garlic, rosemary, chopped parsley, and cracked black pepper. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Take the lamb out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before stuffing it, to bring it to room temperature. Reserve the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Season the lamb on both sides with salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. Lay the meat on a cutting board, fat side down, and open like a book. Spoon as much of the chorizo stuffing as you can (about half, or a little more) on the right side of the lamb. Fold the left side over the stuffing, as if you're closing the "book." If some of the stuffing falls out, stuff what you can back in. Tie the lamb with butcher string at 2-inch intervals to hold it together while roasting. Carefully place the lamb on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Drizzle the leftover marinade over the lamb. Put the remaining chorizo stuffing into a small baking dish and set aside.
• Roast the lamb about 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center (of the meat, not the stuffing) reads 120°F. Remove the lamb from the oven, and let it rest 15 minutes before slicing.
• While the lamb is resting, heat the extra stuffing in the oven until it's hot, about 10 minutes.
• Toss the olives, parsley leaves, and mint leaves with a drizzle of the supergood olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Taste for seasoning. (The herb salad might not need salt, because the olives are rather salty.) Arrange the hot romesco potatoes on a large warm platter.
• Slice the lamb into 1/4-inch-thick slices, removing the butcher string as you go. Using a spatula and spoon (so you don't lose too much of the stuffing), arrange the meat over the potatoes. Scatter the herb salad over the top, and serve the extra stuffing and romesco on the side.
• Chorizo Stuffing
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread them on a baking sheet and toast 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are golden brown.
• Heat a medium pot over high heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil, the rosemary sprig, and the chile; let them sizzle in the oil about 1 minute. Stir in the onions, garlic, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and cook about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and discard the rosemary and chile.
• While the onions are cooking, heat a medium sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Crumble the chorizo into the pan, and sauté about 8 minutes, until the sausage is crisp and cooked through. Drain the chorizo of excess oil and add it to the bowl with the onions. Stir in the breadcrumbs, mint, and parsley, and combine well. Taste for seasoning.
• Romesco Potatoes
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and toss well with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and a heaping teaspoon salt. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast the potatoes about 50 minutes, until tender when pierced (the time will really depend on size, age, and variety of potatoes). When the potatoes have cooled, reserve the garlic, discard the bay and thyme, and crumble the potatoes into chunky pieces with your hands. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and set aside.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (To get the potatoes nicely browned and crisp, don't overcrowd them. You may have to use two pans or brown them in batches.) Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, turn the heat to medium-high, and wait 1 minute more. Add the crumbled potatoes, and season with the thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Sauté the potatoes 6 to 8 minutes until they are crispy on one side. (Don't try to move them or turn them if they are stuck to the pan; they will eventually release themselves-just be patient.) After they've browned nicely on the first side, turn them to let them color on all sides. Once they're nicely browned on all sides, spoon the romesco and reserved garlic into the hot potatoes. Toss and stir to coat them well. Taste for seasoning. Toss in the parsley. Or, if you're not ready to serve the dish yet, turn off the heat and leave the potatoes in the pan; then, just before serving, reheat for a few minutes and toss in the parsley at the last moment.
• Romesco
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Remove and discard the stems and seeds from the chiles, and then soak them in warm water for 15 minutes to soften. Strain the chiles, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell nutty and are golden brown.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and wait a minute. Fry the slice of bread on both sides until golden brown. Remove the bread from the pan and cool. Cut it into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
• Return the pan to the stove over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the chiles and sauté for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato juices have evaporated and the tomato starts to color slightly. Turn off the heat, and leave the mixture in the pan.
• In a food processor, pulse together the toasted nuts, garlic, and fried bread until the bread and nuts are coarsely ground. Add the chile-tomato mixture, and process for 1 minute more.
• With the machine running, slowly pour in the remaining 1 cup olive oil and process until you have a smooth purée. Don't worry, the romesco will "break" or separate into solids and oil; this is normal. Add the parsley, and season to taste with lemon juice, sherry vinegar, and more salt if you like.
• Note
• This is one of the most involved recipes in the book, so plan ahead and set yourself up. Both the chorizo stuffing and the romesco can be made up to 2 days ahead. You can roast the potatoes in the morning, waiting to crumble and brown them until just before serving. And if you like, stuff the lamb the morning of your supper. But remember to take it out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before roasting to bring it to room temperature. Start the romesco potatoes after the lamb has been in the oven for about 30 minutes.

ROASTED RACK OF LAMB WITH SAUCE ROMESCO

Steps:

• For the lamb: Whisk together 1 cup oil, the fennel seeds and thyme. Add the lamb to the marinade and let sit until ready to cook.
• For the romesco sauce: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Roast the garlic by placing the cloves on a baking sheet and drizzle a bit of olive oil on top. Roast until the garlic is soft, 20 minutes. Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a frying pan. Remove and set aside. Pour a few tablespoons of the olive oil into a frying pan and quickly fry the bread until both sides are browned. Remove and let cool on a plate or paper towel. Saute the tomatoes in the same pan, adding oil if needed, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Once the bread is cool, add to a food processor with the nuts and tomatoes and blend. Add the roasted garlic along with the piquillo and roasted peppers and process on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and pepper flakes. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the remaining oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• For cooking the lamb: Turn the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet over high heat. Sear the rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes, and cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring. Arrange the rack bone-side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want, checking the temperature with a meat thermometer. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered.
• For the couscous: Bring the chicken stock to a boil, and then add the saffron and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the hot stock over the couscous, cover and let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving.
• For the zucchini: Saute the zucchini with the garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, carve each rack between the bone into 3 pieces and arrange vertically with the romesco sauce underneath. Stack the zucchini between lamb with the couscous on the side. Garnish with garbanzo beans.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH POTATOES, ARTICHOKES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Finely mince 1/2 cup oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in processor. Place lamb in large roasting pan. Rub lamb with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread 4 tablespoons oregano mixture over lamb, reserving remainder. Arrange lamb so that fat side is up. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, fill large pot with cold water. Add 4 tablespoons lemon juice to water. Cut 1 artichoke lengthwise into 8 wedges. Rub cut surfaces of artichoke with lemon half to prevent discoloring. Cut away choke and discard, leaving artichoke wedges intact. Place artichokes in pot with water . Repeat with remaining artichokes. Boil artichokes until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl. Add olives, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon oregano mixture to artichokes; toss to coat. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast lamb 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, mix potatoes, 2 tablespoons oil and oregano mixture in bowl.
• Arrange potatoes around lamb in roasting pan. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 140°F, about 50 minutes.
• Transfer lamb to large platter. Add artichoke mixture to roasting pan with potatoes; mix well. Continue roasting vegetables until tender, about 20 minutes. Surround lamb with vegetables. Garnish with oregano sprigs and carve roast at table.

GREEN OLIVE, LEMON, AND GARLIC-ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH POTATOES AND PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• With a vegetable peeler remove zest from lemon and reserve lemon. Pit olives. In a food processor finely chop zest, olives, garlic, and parsley with 2 tablespoons oil.
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. In a large flameproof roasting pan toss potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Arrange lamb on potatoes and with the tip of a sharp small knife cut small slits all over lamb. Rub olive mixture over lamb, pushing it into slits. Halve reserved lemon and squeeze juice over lamb. Season lamb with salt and pepper and roast with potatoes in middle of oven 20 minutes.
• Reduce temperature to 350°F.
• Roast lamb and potatoes, loosening potatoes from pan with a metal spatula and turning them occasionally, 1 hour more, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 135°F. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand while making gravy. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and keep warm.
• Make gravy:
• In a cup with your fingers blend together flour and butter. Add wine and water to roasting pan and deglaze pan over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in flour mixture, whisking until incorporated, and simmer gravy, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. With a slotted spoon remove any potato pieces from gravy.
• Garnish lamb with lemon halves and olive branches and serve with gravy and potatoes.