Roast Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes

3 Apr 2012

8 Comments

Easter is coming up this weekend, and i’m so excited because it’s one of my favorite holidays! My brother and sister in law are visiting from Utah, which means all of my husband’s family can celebrate together–and my mother in law is cooking! This is always a really good thing, but she hates lamb, which makes me sad–because I love it, ecspecially this time of year when it’s super traditional.

So tonight I decided to make my own little family an early Easter dinner. I have never cooked leg of lamb before, so it was a fun learning experience for me! I told my husband to be home on time at 5.30 for it, and then I didn’t end up serving it until almost 7pm!! Whoops. Sorry!! We were both starving by then, but it was well worth the wait, because it was so delicious! We decided to make roast lamb an Easter tradition every year!

Here’s the recipe I followed. I watched a video tutorial from Gordon Ramsay and then wrote it down with a simple step by step for next time! [And of course for you guys in case you're feeling lamb for Easter too this year].

Ingredients:
1 boneless leg of lamb

1 Tbsp fennel seeds
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ceyenne (red pepper)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cinnamon

Vegetables:
1 medium onion
3 sticks of celery
3 carrots
Olive oil
1 Tbsp honey

For the mustard lime Vinagarette:
1 Tbsp grainy dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Lime

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325degF. Mix all the spices for the rub together in a roasting pan With a paring knife, make small holes all the way through the lamb by pushing & twisting. 

Add some sprigs of thyme to the sticks of cinnamon and push it through the holes in the lamb Coat the lamb in the spices. One funny reviewer said it kind of looked like a heart at this point… ha! He’s kind of right. [But don't think about that. That's gross].
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Roughly chop the onion, carrot and celery, then add to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on medium high. Add 2 Tbsp of honey to help the vegetables caramelize. Season some salt and pepper. Place the vegetables in the roasting pan. Add the lamb to the pan with 1 Tbsp more olive oil and sear on high for 1-2 minutes on all sides. Transfer to the roasting pan, placing on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and drizzle with a little olive oil. [P.S. my leg of lamb was so big and heavy that as I moved it around to sear it, it fell apart, so I just tied it with some kitchen string to hold its shape. You might need to do this also]. 

Roast 325oF

25-30 min/lb
30-35 min/lb
35-40 min/lb

Medium-Rare 145oF
Medium 160oF
Well-Done 170oF

Slice into thin slices To make the vinaigrette:
Add the juice and rind of one lime along with 1 Tbsp mustard and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a bowl, stir to combine.
To make the potatoes:
Put the potatoes in a saucepan with just enough water to cover them, and boil for 10 minutes until tender, but still a little firm. Drain, then let cool slightly.

Slice the potatoes lengthways. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in 1 Tbsp olive oil, then sautee until lightly golden. Arrange the potatoes on a plate. Top with the lamb, and spoon the vinaigrette around it It looks elegant, and tastes amazing too!

In the recipe I followed, Gordon Ramsay had two small legs of lamb, so they only took an hour to cook. That was what I was preparing for–but when I took out the meat thermometer after an hour of cooking time, it only read 40deg (which was 105deg short of where it needed to be) because my cut was SO BIG! On the plus side, having a big cut means I have a lot extra to make lamb gyros and lamb curry with this week! Yay! I love lamb, and Easter is just not Easter without it!

Hope you enjoy guys, and keep checking back for more recipes!!
<3 Sarah