Roast Baby Lamb Recipes

ROAST LEG OF BABY LAMB

Steps:

• Cut small slits in the lamb, inserting garlic cloves into the slits. Rub the lamb lightly with olive oil, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• Bring the lamb to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, rubbing seasonings into the flesh. Pour a thin film of olive oil into a heatproof roasting pan, gratin dish or ovenproof skillet. Place on top of the stove over medium heat. Brown the lamb, turning carefully once or twice, until golden on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Scatter lamb bones around the leg and place the pan in the oven. Roast 20 minutes.
• Scatter the vegetables (except the fava beans) around the lamb and roast 10 minutes longer. Pour the wine and water around the lamb and roast another 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the lamb to a plate, wrap loosely in aluminum foil and let rest for 30 to 60 minutes. Strain the pan juices (do not degrease), then season the juices and keep warm.
• While the lamb is roasting, remove the fava beans from their pods, peeling off the thin skin that surrounds each bean. Blanch the beans, uncovered, in a large pot of boiling salted water for three minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, drain again and set aside.
• Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add the spring onion and cook until softened, two or three minutes. Add the fava beans and cook gently, stirring, for five minutes. Stir in the reserved lamb juices; heat through for a moment. Add the savory leaves and correct seasonings. Place the fava beans in the center of a warm serving platter. Unwrap the lamb and place it carefully over the beans. Carve the lamb into slices at the table and serve with the fava beans and their juices, garnishing each portion with a sprig or two of savory.

ROAST BABY LAMB

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss all ingredients except the beef stock until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, tossing occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Transfer the contents of the refrigerated bowl to a roasting pan large enough to accommodate a single layer of vegetables covered by a single layer of meat. Add the stock and roast, basting and turning the lamb frequently, until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the lamb from the pan and set it aside. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the pan liquids. Place the pan over high heat and boil until the liquids reduce to about 1 1/4 cups. Transfer the meat to a smaller roasting pan and strain the reduced sauce over it. Place the meat in the oven and roast, turning meat every 10 minutes, until extremely tender, brown, and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes.
• Strain the juices from the pan and, if necessary, reduce further over moderately high heat; there should be 1/2 cup of finished sauce. Transfer the lamb to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over it.
• Recommended wine-I like Abbazia di Rosazzo's Ronco dei Roseti with roast baby lamb.

OVEN-ROASTED LAMB RIBS

Steps:

• Wash ribs thoroughly. Soak in a large bowl of water, changing the water every 30 minutes, to remove excess fat, about 2 hours. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• Mix lemon juice, molasses, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, cinnamon, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large, deep bowl.
• Combine onion, tomatoes, sweet peppers, parsley, garlic, and cayenne pepper in a food processor; pulse to form a paste.
• Stir onion paste into the lemon juice mixture in the bowl. Add lamb ribs; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator, at least 10 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a rack on top. Arrange ribs on the rack.
• Bake ribs in the preheated oven until fat has rendered and meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cover ribs with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

OVEN-ROASTED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Cut away excess fat from the lamb chops (some fat does add flavor). Coat each chop lightly in olive oil. Dust lamb chops with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place lamb chops in a cast iron skillet.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for medium-well doneness.
• Remove from the oven and cover tightly with foil; let rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with mint jelly on the side,