Roasted Leg Of Lamb With Saffron And Olive Salsa 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.

OLIVE-STUFFED LAMB ROULADE WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and the coriander and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is softened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and the lemon zest. Let cool completely.
• Generously season the lamb with salt and pepper on both sides, then rub all over with the garlic oil. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Set a rack in a large roasting pan; set aside. Pulse the olives, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon oregano and 1 tablespoon each lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor until a coarse paste forms. Place the lamb fat-side down and spread the olive paste over the top. Starting from a short side, roll the lamb into a log; tie in 1-inch intervals using kitchen twine.
• Transfer the lamb, seam-side down, to the rack in the pan. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 130 degrees F to 135 degrees F, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. Let rest in the pan 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, make the salsa verde: Pulse the remaining 2 cups parsley, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and the capers in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the vinegar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. With the machine running, gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil until a chunky sauce forms. Season with more salt and pepper.
• Return the lamb to the oven and roast until browned, about 20 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes.
• Remove the twine and cut the lamb into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a platter and top with the salsa verde.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Stir first 10 ingredients in large bowl for salsa verde. Place lamb on work surface, smooth-side down. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper, then garlic. Rub 1/4 cup salsa verde into lamb. Roll up lamb. Using kitchen string, tie lamb every 2-inches to hold together. (Lamb and salsa verde can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill. Let lamb and salsa verde stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Place lamb on rack in roasting pan. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 120°F for medium-rare, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Transfer lamb to cutting board; remove kitchen string. Cut crosswise into thin slices. Arrange sliced lamb on platter. Spoon some salsa verde over. Serve lamb, passing remaining salsa alongside.

SICILIAN LAMB SPEZZATINO WITH SAFFRON AND MINT

Steps:

• Season chops generously with salt and pepper. Put olive oil in a wide deep skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown lamb on both sides, then remove and set aside. Lower heat to medium, add onion to pan and season with salt. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, about 5 minutes.
• Stir garlic, saffron and tomato paste into onions and cook 1 minute. Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes, then return lamb to skillet. Add 4 cups water, just to cover meat, and bring to a boil. Put on lid, turn heat to low and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, until quite tender.
• Remove lid and raise heat to a rapid simmer. Simmer until juices have reduced by nearly half and sauce has thickened somewhat (may be prepared ahead to this point). Taste and adjust seasoning. Just before serving, reheat and stir in chopped mint.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Place the lamb on a sheet pan covered with foil. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, white wine, garlic, salt, black pepper, and thyme leaves. Stir to blend and rub all over the lamb. Cover and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours or overnight, turning the lamb over from time to time and recoating it with the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the lamb from the marinade and season on all sides with salt, pepper and olive oil. Reserve the leftover marinade for later use.
• In a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack place the lamb, fatty side up, on the rack and place it in the center of the oven. . Having the leg elevated off the bottom of the pan will allow for more even roasting. At 425 degrees F, the roast should start to brown fairly quickly.
• After 25 to 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. I usually count between 12 to 14 minutes per pound of meat (including the weight of the bone) for a roast. When the oven heat is lowered, count about 30 to 40 minutes and then check the inner temperature of the thickest part of the roast with an instant-read thermometer. Cook it to about 130 degrees F. The meat, once it "rests" will be a nice medium rare. Remove the roast and turn it fat side down onto a flat surface to rest. Resting the lamb on the opposite side will help to redistribute the juices. Note: Save the pan drippings.
• Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium low heat. Add the reserved marinade, dry sherry and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Whisk together and simmer until thick. Transfer the sauce to a gravy boat and serve with lamb.
• Slice the lamb (against the grain) and serve family style.

SPIT ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH PRESERVED LEMON, SAFFRON, OLIVE, AND VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a small saute pan, bring the champagne vinegar and saffron to a boil for 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and whisk in the olive oil slowly as to incorporate it. Add the chopped preserved lemon and black olives. Season with pepper. I do not add salt to this because of the saltiness of the olives. This recipe makes a quart and will last for at least a month.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Make sure the lamb leg is cleaned well and any hard fat is trimmed off. Make 8 slits in the leg and stuff them with the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves. Rub the leg with the olive oil, dry and fresh oregano, lemon, salt, and pepper. Roast at 500 degrees F. for about 30 minutes. Lower heat to 375 degrees F. Add water to the pan if needed. Cook for about 3 1/2 hours.
• Remove the lamb from the pan and let rest. Skim the fat from the pan juices and pour the juice onto the bottom of a platter. Slice the lamb into thin slices and serve topped with the preserved lemon sauce.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut slits in the top of the leg of lamb every 3 to 4 inches, deep enough to push slices of garlic down into the meat. Salt and pepper generously all over the top of lamb, place several sprigs of fresh rosemary under and on top of the lamb. Place lamb on roasting pan.
• Roast in preheated oven until the lamb is cooked to your desired doneness, about 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Do not overcook the lamb, the flavor is best if meat is still slightly pink. Let rest at least 10 minutes before carving.