Just as we look outside to the warming weather and the chance to reduce our winter waistlines, another holiday meal approaches.
In our area, ham seems to be the usual Easter fare, but my family eats ham often enough that we usually turn to a more ancient meal. Preparing lamb for Easter has its roots in Jewish Passover, when a sacrificed lamb would be roasted and eaten with bitter herbs. As the early Christian church came into being, traditions blended. Christ is, of course, referred to as the Lamb of God.
For me, a roast leg of lamb (if local sources cooperate and prices arent out of reach) served with flat bread, olives and olive oil, cheeses, wine and fruit makes up a perfect Easter dinner. The biggest problem is choosing the right recipe for the lamb itself.
Lamb, like most meats, is best if you can cook it over a hot fire. You can use a gas grill, of course, but a charcoal fire gives much better flavor. You have my undying admiration if youre able to do it over coals from a wood fire. But lamb is also excellent cooked indoors.
It is no surprise that French cuisine contributes some of the best recipes for leg of lamb. This may seem an incongruity as we create a simple meal harkening back to early traditions, but the history of France is tightly bound with that of the Christian church.
Dont let the title of this peasant dish scare you: Lamb With 20 Cloves of Garlic. You need not eat the garlic after cooking, of course, but there are few treats as wonderful as roast garlic, so this is no time to be squeamish.
When choosing lamb, look for a leg (if buying whole) not over nine pounds or so. Any larger, and youre getting something that is well on its way to becoming mutton. It should be bright and rosy in color. Avoid anything that is dark red or leaning to purple. Well do a boneless roast here, but by all means get a whole leg if you desire and have a heavy pan to accommodate it.
LAMB WITH 20 CLOVES OF GARLIC
1 3-to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb, tied
4 tablespoons olive oil
20 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1 bunch fresh rosemary, or about 1 teaspoon dried
to 1 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a heavy-bottomed roasting pan (enameled cast iron, if possible), over medium-high heat.
Add the olive oil and sear the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the roast from the pan and add the carrots, onion and garlic cloves.
Reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are softened. Be careful not to burn them; stir often. Add the rosemary and wine, scraping up any browned pieces from the bottom of the pan.
Return the lamb to the pan, cover with foil, then the lid, and roast for 1 hours.
At this point, start checking for doneness every 15 minutes. You want 145 degrees for medium rare, 165 for medium and 170 for well done.
Lamb is best if not overcooked.
When done, remove the lamb to rest while you strain the pan juices.
Save the garlic and discard the rest of the vegetables. Serve on a platter with the garlic strewn over and moistened with plenty of the pan juices.
