December 30, 2022
Roast Leg of Lamb with green olive & anchovy rub, over potatoes & fennel
GF/DF
Feeds 6
If you are feeding a crowd and choose to double this recipe, cut the 10 lb roast in half after deboning and butterfly each half separately.
Ingredients is "paragraph - 18 pt - bold"
5lb bone-in leg of lamb (butcher or you - debone & butterfly the roast. Reserve the bone.)
Rub:
1 shallot
5 garlic cloves
2/3 cup pitted good green olives
1 crushed small red pepper
1/3 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup or 2 oz tin of anchovies
1/4 cup mint loosemint leaves
3 tbsp lemon zest
3 tbsp rosemary leaves (about 4 sprigs and don't pull the leaves off, instead cut leaves off, leaving the little joining tough nub on the stem)
1 tsp ground fennel seeds, or 1/2 tsp fennel pollen
1 tbsp kosher salt
few grinds of black pepper
1/2 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Roasted Veggies:
1 fennel bulb, cut in 1/4" slices
1 lb little red potatoes, cut into quarters or bite size pieces
1 lb Sunchokes, cut into similar sized pieces as the potatoes (if you can't find them, switch out for more potatoes)
2 garlic cloves, smashed and skins removed, but not sliced or diced
5 sprigs of thyme, tied into a bundle
3 bay leaves
light sprinkling of lemon juice, from 1/4 lemon
(about 10% of reserved rub from above)
2 cups (or about 1/2 bottle) dry white wine
Process
1. Take the meat out of the frisge about an hour before cooking, so it can come to room temperature. Cut off any large pieces of fat, butleave the smaller pieces...they will help keep the moisture in the meat. At least 30mn before cooking, preheat oven to 425F.
2. Add all the ingredients for the rub, except the EVOO, to a food processor. Pulse until the texture is a fine dust. Slowly drizzle in the EVOO. Reserve about 20% of the rub and set aside. Spread the remaining mixture all over the cut side of the lamb...the side facing up that will be rolled up. Be sure to get into all the crevices and use up the full 80% of total rub.
3. Roll the meat up and secure with butcher twine. You should have a secure little bundle, about two to three times long as it is thick/wide. Take half of the reserved 20% of rub,andspread all over the outside of the secured roast. You should still have the last 10% of the rub left.
4. Prepare the Roasted Veg. Add all the roasted veg ingredients together in the bottom of a roasting pan except for the wine. Mix/massage in the last 10% of the rub, so it lightly coats all the vegetables. Pour the wine around/between veggies, being careful not to rinse all the rub off. Some will come off, and that's ok.
5. Place the lamb bones in the veggies, and nestle them in, so they're touching the bottom of the pan. The bones will be used as your cookingrack, and they'll add some great/additional flavor to your roast. Place the lamb roast on top of the bones (and vegetables.) If any part looks dry, drizzle with a bit more EVOO.
6. Place in preheated oven and brown the exterior, about 45mn, turning and basting the roast at least once during this period. after about 45mn,orwhen the roast is well browned, take it out and adjust the veggies, turn the roast back to original position and baste once more. Add a little water (or veggie broth) to the veggies if they're starting to dry out. Return to the oven, and once the oven door is shut again, reduce heat to 325F. Roast for another 30-60minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 125F (at its thickest part.) During this time, baste twice and checkont he moisture in the veggies, adding more liquid when/if necessary.
7. When the temperature reads 125F, remove from oven, and tent with foil. Let rest for 15-20 minutes. Cut strings, transferth e roast to a cutting board and slice. Place on a platter, with veggies surrounding the sliced roast. Drizzle the pan juices over the roast and veggies. Serve!
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