Yogurt And Herb Crusted Leg Of Lamb Recipes

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

HERB-CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Let lamb stand at room temperature for one hour. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove all but a thin layer of fat from the lamb. Rub lamb with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on a rack in a heavy roasting pan.
• Meanwhile, rub head of garlic with 1/4 teaspoon oil; wrap loosely in foil. Bake until garlic is very soft, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• Cut off top of garlic head; squeeze roasted garlic into a bowl. Using a fork, mash garlic to a paste. Add extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well.
• Rotate pan after lamb has roasted 1 1/4 hours. After 30 minutes more, slather lamb with roasted-garlic paste. Roast an additional hour (for a total roasting time of about 2 3/4 hours), or until an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 160 degrees. Remove from oven, and let rest 20 minutes.
• Transfer lamb to a carving board. Pour off fat from roasting pan; place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with flour, and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour in brandy; scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. Lower heat to medium; let liquid reduce by half. Add stock, stirring until incorporated. Add rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice lamb; serve with sauce on the side.

YOGURT-AND-HERB-CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with one rack in top third and one in bottom third. Set a wire rack in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. In a saucepan, combine oil, garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; cook over medium until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process with zest and parsley until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl; stir in breadcrumbs and lemon juice. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt and mustard; season with salt.
• Place lamb, skin-side down, on a work surface and pound with a mallet to an even thickness of about 1 1/4 inches. Arrange loose ends to create a rough rectangle; season with salt. Spread 1/2 cup yogurt mixture evenly over surface, then half of breadcrumb mixture. Starting at ragged short end, tightly roll lamb into a cylinder. Tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals; insert 2 skewers crosswise through lamb to help hold shape, if desired. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; season all over with salt.
• Increase oven heat to broil; broil lamb on top rack, flipping halfway through, until fat is golden brown, about 2 minutes a side. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Remove twine from lamb, leaving skewers in place. Spread remaining yogurt mixture thickly over top and sides of lamb. Press remaining breadcrumb mixture into yogurt. Roast on bottom rack until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of lamb registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, 40 to 60 minutes more, depending on diameter of roll. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes before carving with a very sharp knife. Serve, with lemon wedges.

HERB CRUSTED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the meat with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix the herbs with the olive oil and bread crumbs. Rub both sides of the lamb with the herb mixture. Using the kitchen string, tie up the lamb leg at 2-inch intervals. Place in roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Add the wine and water or broth to the roasting pan and cook for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the thickest part of the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F for medium. Take the lamb out of the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

HERB-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
• Combine bread crumbs, parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, mint, rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a shallow dish and set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Pat lamb dry with paper towels. Season with black pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add lamb to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total.
• Brush the lamb with mustard, then dip and roll into prepared bread crumb mixture to coat, pressing gently to adhere. Place lamb on the prepared rack, meat side up, with the bones pointed towards the middle of the rack.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer registers 125 degrees F (52 degrees C) for medium-rare, about 20 minutes, or to desired degree of doneness. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing in between the bones. Serve immediately.