Spanish Roasted Lamb Recipes

SPANISH-STYLE SLOW-COOKED LAMB SHOULDER & BEANS

Steps:

• To make the spice mix, combine all of the ingredients together with a large pinch of salt. Slash the lamb shoulder all over with a sharp knife and rub in. If you have the time, marinate for up to 24 hrs, but this is not essential.
• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or roasting tin over a medium-high heat, add the onions, carrots and garlic and sizzle for 5 mins until the onions and carrots are softened. Pour over the stock, then bring to the boil. Nestle the lamb in the pan and cover, then transfer to the oven and roast for 2 hrs.
• Uncover and transfer the lamb to a plate using tongs. Stir the beans, peppers and olives through the stock in the pan, sit the lamb back on top and return to the oven, uncovered, for 1 hr 30 mins until the lamb is cooked through. Transfer the lamb to a board and shred using two forks. Stir the parsley through the braised beans before serving.

SLOW-ROASTED ANDALUSIAN-STYLE LAMB AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine garlic, thyme, and 2 tablespoons salt in a small bowl. Using your fingertips, rub mixture until it resembles wet sand (larger pieces of garlic will remain); set aside. Crush bay leaves.
• Combine half of potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 crushed bay leaf in a large roasting pan; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out potatoes in a single layer.
• Place lamb on top of potatoes and rub with garlic mixture. Layer tomatoes, onions, remaining 3 crushed bay leaves, and remaining potatoes around and up sides of lamb, seasoning with salt and pepper and drizzling with remaining 6 tablespoons oil as you go (lamb will be nearly covered). Add wine to pan; cover tightly with foil.
• Roast until lamb is very tender, 3-4 hours. Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 425°F. Roast, turning lamb halfway through, until lamb is golden, 20-25 minutes longer. Let rest in roasting pan for 15-20 minutes. DO AHEAD: Lamb can be roasted 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat before continuing.
• Pull meat from bones in large chunks; discard bones and fat. Place meat and vegetables on a platter. Skim fat from surface of cooking juices in pan. Spoon some cooking juices over lamb and vegetables and serve remainder alongside.

ROASTED YOUNG SPRING LEG OF LAMB SPANISH STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Clean lamb of any excess fat around the thick and meaty portion of the leg. In a bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano and oil. Rub the lamb thoroughly with salt mixture. Place cut vegetables in a large turkey roaster. Rest the lamb on top of vegetables. Place the leg of lamb in the oven and roast until internal temperature, at thickest portion of lamb, registers 135 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove lamb from oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Discard vegetables. Serve with White Beans and Saffron recipe (recipe follows).
• Drain soaked beans. Place in a large pot with fresh water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with bay leaves. Add 1 teaspoon salt after simmering for 1 hour. In a saute pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add parsley and saffron, allow to cook for 1 minute more, and remove from heat. Drain the cooked beans of excess water. Return the beans to the pot and add cooked onion mixture. Combine and reheat. Check seasoning and serve.

CATALONIAN FIRE ROASTED LAMB RACK

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade: Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add shallots, garlic, and the ancho chile. Cook until barely golden. Remove from heat and add scallions, cilantro leaves, lime juice and honey.
• Remove the whole "eye" from each rack, reserving the bones. Marinate for 2 hours or more, refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a shallow roasting pan, combine all the ingredients for the romesco sauce: olive oil, the remaining 2 ancho chiles, serrano or jalapeno, red pepper, shallots, garlic, tomato, tomato juice, saffron, cumin, coriander, basil and parsley. Roast for 40 minutes or until the tomatoes start to brown.
• Remove from the oven and process in a food processor, along with the toasted almonds. Add lime juice and salt and pepper to adjust the seasoning.
• Slice apart the reserved rib bones into 7 or 8 pieces equally so that each bone has the same amount of meat.
• Return sauce to the roasting pan and add rib bones. Loosely cover with foil. Roast at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Test to see if the bone meat is tender by poking it with the tip of a sharp knife. When the meat is tender, remove the foil cover to let the meat brown slightly.
• Dry the "eyes" of each rack by scraping away the marinade. Do not discard. Add salt and pepper to the "eyes" and brown in a large saute pan.
• When the "eyes" have browned, place in a shallow roasting pan, pour over the reserved marinade, and roast in a slow oven at 325 degrees F. until cooked to medium rare. Let them rest. Slice each into 6 equal rounds. Place three rounds, overlapping, on each serving plate, and arrange 3 or 4 rib bones next to them Ladle some of the sauce around the plate. Serve immediately.

SPANISH-STYLE LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Warm oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with a lid or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, sprinkle lamb generously with salt and pepper and cook in batches to avoid overcrowding, turning once or twice, until each piece is well browned all over, about 15 minutes total. Transfer pieces to a plate as they brown.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat and add onions, bell pepper, garlic and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are softened, about 5 minutes. Add pimentón and stir for a minute. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into bite-size pieces and scraping browned bits from the pot. Add wine, chicken stock, vinegar and bay leaves and bring just to a boil.
• Return lamb to pot and reduce heat so mixture is bubbling very gently. Partly cover pot and cook, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until lamb is very tender, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaves. Stir in beans and cook another 10 minutes to heat them through. Stir in parsley and adjust the seasoning if necessary.