Roasted Leg Of Lamb With Mint And Cucumber Yogurt Food

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

HERB-ROASTED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven so the lamb will sit in the middle of the oven.
• Peel 6 of the cloves of garlic and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and butter. Process until the garlic and rosemary are finely minced. Thoroughly coat the top and sides of the lamb with the rosemary mixture. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Toss the potatoes and remaining unpeeled garlic in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees F and roast for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the potatoes.

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.

LAMB RACK WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT

Steps:

• Cucumber Yogurt
• Line a colander with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth and pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth. suspend over a large bowl and refrigerate for 48 hours, allowing the moisture to drain from the yogurt.
• Peel and grate the cucumbers on a box grater. season with 1 teaspoon of salt and hang in a quadruple layer of cheese-cloth to drain excess moisture, about 1 hour. Measure 1 cup of the drained yogurt and reserve the rest for another use. Combine the cup of yogurt and the drained cucumbers in a medium bowl. stir in the lemon juice and olive oil. Grate the garlic on a Microplane grater into the mixture and fold in the chopped dill. Mix well and season with salt to taste.
• Roasted Lamb Rack
• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. season the lamb rack generously with salt. place the rack in the skillet fat side down and sear over high heat until browned, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Turn and sear the bottom for 1 minute. Turn the rack back onto the fat side and add the butter, thyme, and garlic. Baste the rack with the butter for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the lamb rack fat side up to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the lamb rack over, baste with butter, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. remove the lamb rack from the oven, turn it back over, and baste once more. roast in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 130° to 135°F. Let the lamb rack rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. serve with the cucumber yogurt and heirloom tomatoes.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB (GYROS)

Steps:

• Finely chop up 1/2 of the garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Mash the garlic and salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the oregano and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-oregano paste in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and 1 cup of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Slice the remaining garlic into thin slivers.
• Put the lamb on a large platter, and trim any excess fat. Cut the lamb in 1/2 lengthwise so you have 2 large pieces. Make slits all over the meat with a sharp knife, and push the garlic slivers inside. Rub 1/2 of the garlic-oregano paste all over the lamb and season the meat with salt and pepper. Roll up each piece of lamb lengthwise and tie with butcher's twine to hold the roasts together. Put the lamb on a large platter and slather with the remaining garlic-oregano paste. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Wipe off the excess paste from the lamb so it won't burn in the oven. Place a large roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high flame and coat with a fair amount of olive oil. Put the lamb roasts in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on all sides. Transfer the pan (and lamb) to the oven and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it should be pink in the center and the internal temperature reads 130 degrees F. Allow the lamb to stand 10 minutes to let the juices settle before and slicing.
• Cut off the butcher's twine and thinly slice the lamb. Place the meat in the center of the pita breads. Top with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and tzatziki.
• Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.

YOGURT-MINT MARINATED GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, make several small slits over the entire surface of the lamb, and stuff the slits with the sliced garlic. Add the yogurt, mint, cumin and hot pepper sauce to the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Place the lamb on a large baking sheet and rub the entire leg with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the grill to high. Remove the lamb from the marinade and season well with salt and pepper. Place the lamb, skin side down, on the grill. Grill until the skin side is golden brown, then turn the lamb over, and reduce the heat of the grill to medium so that the grill maintains a constant temperature of 350 degrees F. Continue grilling until a thermometer inserted deep into the meat reaches a temperature of 145 degrees F for medium-rare doneness, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove lamb from grill, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice the meat on the bias into 1/4-inch thick slices.

LEG OF LAMB WITH MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in lower third. Rub lamb with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then rub with oil. With the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut twenty 1/2-inch-deep slits all over lamb; insert garlic slivers into openings.
• Place lamb on a roasting rack set on a rimmed baking sheet; place in oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Roast lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part (avoiding bone) registers 125 degrees to 135 degrees for rare, or 135 degrees to 140 degrees for medium, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours. Remove from oven; let rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, make the mint sauce: In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until liquid is syrupy and reduced to 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mint, and let cool completely.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH GINGER AND MINT

Steps:

• Pulse the garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the paprika in a food processor to make a paste. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic-ginger paste, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste begins to fry slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; let cool.
• Make about sixteen 1-inch-deep slits all over the leg of lamb with a paring knife. Stuff the chopped mint and some of the garlic-ginger paste into the slits. Rub the remaining paste all over the outside of the lamb. Wrap the lamb in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Bring the lamb to room temperature 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unwrap the lamb, season with salt and pepper and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup chicken broth into the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until the lamb starts browning, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 cups chicken broth, the vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil; remove from the heat and set aside.
• Remove the lamb from the oven; baste with the broth mixture. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, until the lamb is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 130 degrees F, about 1 1/2 more hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, spoon off any excess fat from the pan juices; add the pan juices to the remaining broth. Heat the broth mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about one-third, about 5 to 7 minutes. Top the lamb with mint and serve with the broth mixture.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB WITH YOGURT-MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a blender, whirl yellow onion, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, and salt. With blender running, slowly pour in olive oil.
• Rinse lamb and pat dry. With a small knife, make small slashes (1 inch long and 1 inch deep) all over the lamb, and put it in a nonreactive dish. Coat lamb with onion marinade, making sure the mixture gets into the slits. Cover and chill 2 hours or up to overnight, turning occasionally.
• Remove lamb from refrigerator about 1 hour before you plan to cook it. Spread lamb flat on an oiled barbeque grill over a solid bed of medium-heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand 1 to 2 inches above grill level only 4 to 5 seconds.). Close lid. Cook lamb, turning once and brushing with marinade, until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part registers 140 degrees, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer meat to a platter and cover. Let rest 15 to 20 minutes. Thinly slice meat, garnish with sliced red onion and radishes, and serve with yogurt-mint sauce.
• Yogurt-Mint Sauce:.
• In a blender whirl all ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in an additional 3/4 cup plain whole plain yogurt. Makes about 1 cup sauce.