Roast lamb was always on the holiday table around Easter when I was little. Let’s face it, I did not appreciate eating Spring lamb with green French beans and pistachio nuts at such a young age. Now I love it -- one good side-effect of aging!
(bitter greens salad with walnuts and a horseradish/honey vinaigrette - a fit for passover)
And speaking of age, Spring lamb has a much milder flavor than its elders because of its diet. It’s tender enough that you can roast the leg and shoulder right on the bone. This year I decided to prepare my Spring lamb boneless and cook it for 24 hours at a low temperature, the result is a succulent, tender lamb.
(Spring lamb roll-up with string beans and pistachio nuts)
Lamb Roasting
Roasting a lamb is very simple. All you really need is a pot of water, an oven, and large Zip-loc style bags. If you are really into precission an instant temperature reading thermomether comes in handy too. Here is a recipe for roasted lamb.
24 Hour Spring Lamb Roll-up
(recipe for four)
2 Spring lamb shoulders (recipe works with lamb legs too) from a 15-20 lb. lamb
Kosher-style salt
Black pepper grindings
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
½ stick butter
1. Ask your butcher to cut the lamb meat off the bone
2. Place deboned lamb shoulder/leg on a large cutting board or on a clean kitchen counter then cut open thick muscle strings (I call it the butterfly-cut technique). Lamb should be flat and rectangular in shape at this point (don’t worry about any holes or open spaces between meat parts)
3. Season lamb generously with salt, pepper and mustard (smear mustard with a spoon over lamb) then sprinkle rosemary over lamb
4. Roll lamb into a sausage-like shape (2-3-inch diameter). Line kitchen counter with plastic wrap (18x18-inch square, overlap a second layer of platic wrap across)
5. Transfer lamb on top of plastic wrap then roll around lamb “sausage”. Secure sausage with more plastic wrap to shape into a strong sausage-like shape.
6. Place wrapped lamb into a large Zip-loc style bag. With hands, push air out of bag then close bag zipper.
7. Place bagged lamb in a pot (large enough to fit rolled lamb) then cover with hot water and transfer to a oven. Set temperature at 160 degreess Fahrenheit and cook for 24 hours
8. Take bagged lamb out of water then cool in a large shallow pan for 30 minutes or so – lamb is very soft at this point be careful not to break it
9. Cut plastic wrap from lamb and collect lamb juice in shallow pan
10. Heat meat juice in a small sauce pot then add butter, continuously stirring with a wire whisk. Bring meat juice/butter mixture to boil then put on side of stove – do not boil anymore.
Chef’s Note: I like to use lamb which is around one year old because the flavor is still mild.
Vegetable accompaniment: I’ve tried this kind of lamb with baby carrots whole or pureed, spiced with a little coriander and orange peel or cipollini onions simply cooked slowly in a bit of balsamic vinegar. But as you know, my mother would cook green French string beans and toss them with pistachio nuts – not bad mom!
(leftovers - no problem lamb roll-up thinly sliced with house-made fig mustard)
(my first - bunny cake)
Easter Dessert
I always wanted to bake one of those sweet Easter lamb cakes that I stared at as a kid in the local bakery. This year, my mother sen bunny and lamb shaped cake molds from Austria and I baked. The first cake I baked overflowed the baking mold in a serious way .. but it was still delicous. A cake like that makes a great center piece on the holiday table. Besides the cake being adorable with its bunny or lamb shape the cake mold is enough for a dessert for four people.
(fun - Easter egg coloring)
