Roast Lamb With Avgolemono Sauce Recipes

LAMB FRICASSEE: GREEK STYLE LAMB & GREENS IN AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• A traditional Greek dish made with lamb and greens in a refreshing lemon sauce.
• Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a pot and brown the meat in a few batches all around. About 5-8 minutes. Do this in batches as to avoid overcrowding the pot. Overcrowding the pot will prevent the meat from browning.
• Note: the meat can also be browned in the oven by placing it in a baking pan, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Roast at 500 °F, 260 °C for about 10 minutes.
• Add the sliced scallions to the pot with the meat and cook over high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the scallions soften a bit.
• Cover the meat with water and bring to a boil.
• Cover the pot with the lid and reduce the heat to a medium low. Cook for approximately 1 and ½ to 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Stir often and add more water if needed.
• Wash, dry, and coarsely chop the greens.
• Once the meat is soft, add the chopped greens to the pot, cover with lid and cook until they are wilted.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
• Prepare the Avgolemono sauce by combining the egg yolks, lemon juice, and corn starch in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
• Temper the sauce by adding about ½ cup of hot liquid from the pot and whisking to combine.
• Pour the sauce into the pot and mix to distribute.
• Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chopped mint and dill and serve.
• Enjoy!

AVGOLEMONO RICE

Steps:

• Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil. Season lightly with salt. Rinse the rice, and pour into boiling water, stirring well to keep grains from clumping. When the water returns to a boil, lower heat a little to a gentle boil, and cook the rice "pasta-style" until just done.
• Drain the rice through a fine-mesh colander, giving it a couple of hearty shakes to remove the last of the water. Immediately spread cooked rice out on a sheet pan lined with parchment to cool quickly. Do not pat down or pack the rice - you want it fluffy and to be able to cool and dry quickly.
• Rinse the peas under cool water briefly to remove any frosty crystals.
• Bring the lamb stock to a simmer.
• In a stainless bowl, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together until fully incorporated.In a slow steady stream, while constantly whisking, add half the hot lamb stock into the yolks. Then whisk the egg-lemon mixture back into the remaining stock.
• Return the pot to the stove, and simmer (still whisking constantly so as not to cook the egg too fast and too hard), until the avgolemono sauce is full-bodied, approximately the consistency of buttermilk - a minute or 90 seconds more.
• Stir in the scallions, then the peas, and when they both turn bright green, turn off the heat, and stir in the rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The rice should be as soupy as risi e bisi and as creamy as risotto.

GREEK LAMB STEW AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Season the lamb pieces with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Add the pearl onions with two cups of broth in a sauce pan and simmer in medium high heat for 15 minutes.
• Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a pot. Add the diced onion, season with a pinch or two sea salt, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the lamb and saute for 3-4 minutes or until lamb is browned all over. Add the black pepper kernels and bay leaf.
• Add the white wine and simmer on high for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Add the pearl onions and broth and the chopped dill. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, cover the pot, and turn the heat to low. Slowcook until lamb is soft and can be pulled apart, about 60 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes after it is done to cool the broth.

ROAST LAMB WITH AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Set the leg of lamb into a roasting tin. Season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper. In a bowl, mix together the mustard and plain flour to a smooth paste. Spread it all over the lamb. Roast for 20 mins, then reduce the heat to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and cook for a further 1 hr 20 mins. Remove the lamb from the oven and leave to stand, covered in foil, for 15 mins.
• For the sauce, mix together 2 tbsp cold water and the cornflour to make a smooth paste. Beat together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a small saucepan and add 2-3 tbsp of the hot stock, whisking well. Stir in the cornflour paste and heat gently. Pour over the rest of the stock, then over a low heat stirring constantly, cook for 7-10 mins until the sauce has thickened. Do not boil. Add the spring onions, adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve hot with thin slices of the lamb.

ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use a small sharp knife to make about a dozen incisions, each about 2 inches deep, through the fat that covers the top of the meat. Using a mortar and pestle or a blender, blend 2/3 of the anchovies (or 2/3 of the mustard if using), the rosemary leaves and the garlic cloves into a chunky paste. Using your fingers, press paste deeply into incisions.
• Mix remaining anchovies (or mustard) and the butter into a paste. Smear this mixture all over the surface of the roast. Season liberally with black pepper. (Do not add salt; the anchovies are salty enough, and so is the mustard.) Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up, and squeeze the lemon halves over. Pour the wine around the roast into the pan.
• Roast 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and roast until internal temperature reaches 130 to 135 degrees (for medium-rare or medium meat), about another 60 to 90 minutes. Baste every 20 minutes or so with the wine and drippings in the pan, adding more wine as needed to keep the liquid from scorching. If possible, for the last 15 minutes of cooking, use convection or a broiler to crisp the fat on the roast.
• Remove pan from the oven, remove rack from the pan, and let the roast rest on the rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes in a warm place, tented with foil. The internal temperature will rise to about 140 to 145 degrees.
• To make sauce from the pan drippings, remove a few tablespoons of fat by tipping the pan and spooning off the top layer. Put the pan over medium heat until the liquid simmers. Taste the simmering liquid and whisk in more wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the consistency and flavor are right. Do not let the mixture become syrupy; it should be a sharp jus, not a thick gravy.
• Carve lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a heated platter, decorated with rosemary sprigs. Serve with piping hot gravy.