Roasted Leg Of Lamb With Saffron And Olive Salsa Recipes

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.

LEG OF LAMB OPEN-FACED SANDWICH WITH BLACK OLIVE SALTSA: ARNI PSITO

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the olives, chile, single garlic clove, capers, 1 teaspoon black pepper, fresh oregano, and 1/2 cup olive oil together. Cover and set aside.
• Preheat 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 remaining sliced garlic. Rub the leg with the remaining olive oil, dry oregano, lemon, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes. Lower heat to 375 degrees. Add water to the pan if needed. Cook until the internal temperature of the lamb is 120 to 135 degrees F, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes. Skim the fat from the pan juices and pour into a bowl. Use for another time, this juice can be frozen. Slice the lamb as thinly as possible.
• Toast the pita bread and spread the goat cheese on the inside of the pita. Pile in about 4 to 5 slices of the lamb and top with the olive spread and arugula. Serve room temperature.

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.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Using paper towels, pat lamb dry. Using a sharp knife, score the top side of the lamb by making shallow cuts all over. In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, salt and pepper. Place lamb, fat side up, on a rack in the prepared roasting pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over the lamb, rubbing in thoroughly into the scored cuts. Place into oven and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until desired doneness. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately with mini hasselback potatoes.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH OLIVE AND ROSEMARY PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Using on/off turns, blend olives, garlic and rosemary in processor until chopped. Gradually add oil, blending until coarse paste forms. Season paste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Place lamb, boned side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Spread olive paste over top of lamb.
• Roast lamb 30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Continue roasting until thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 135°F for medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes.

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.

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.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• For the cleanest-looking presentation, trim 1 1/2 inches of flesh from the shank bone with a sharp paring knife. (Your butcher may be willing to do this for you.)
• The fell is a thin outer layer of fat that you may find if you buy an untrimmed leg from a butcher. It's very tough, so it's important to remove all of it. A long knife with a sharp thin blade is the best tool for the job.
• Trim the excess fat that lies beneath the fell, but leave enough to enrich the meat and gravy. It also crisps up nicely when broiled, which helps give the carved slices great texture. Use shears to trim the fat pads around the hip, or large end.
• Make incisions 1 inch long and 1/2 inch deep all over the leg; they?ll allow the aromatic rub to penetrate the meat more easily. Roughening the surface in this way also results in a crisper, more flavorful crust after broiling.
• Stir together salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, mustard, and oil in a small bowl until it forms a wet paste. Spread rub evenly over lamb, working it into the incisions. Let lamb sit at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Transfer lamb, fat side up, to a large roasting pan fitted with a rack, and add broth. Roast lamb 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of flesh near the bone reaches 130 degrees to 135 degrees (medium-rare), about 55 minutes. Increase temperature to broil; broil until surface sizzles and becomes brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer lamb to a platter or carving board; let rest at least 20 minutes before carving.