Luscious Leg

Of lamb, that is! I tend to jump into cooking new things with both feet, straight into the deep end. I've yet to get so far in over my head that I couldn't tread water, but lamb was completely new to me. Does it get cooked like pork, slightly pink? Or more like beef, as rare as you like? What way would I like best? Would I even like it at all?

To all of my questions, I found answers... some via some intense internet searching and some just by my own decisions. You can cook it however you like.. rare.. well done. What ever makes your taste buds dance. And to season it, it really doesn't take much. And people all over the world eat it with minted peas... which sounds an awful lot like torture to me. Only partially curious to find out, I'll be honest I'm not entirely sure what all 'minted peas' entails, and I may just keep it that way.

That said, I cooked mine to a nice, healthy medium well. And I decided to keep the seasonings light with fresh herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and a little olive oil. Of course, I skipped the peas all together and made it with fresh vegetables, asparagus for J and Brussels sprouts for myself, and a Greek seasoned cheesy orzo. All together, the meal was decidedly light while blissfully savory and filling.

Now, to not skip over the giant elephant in the room... I've not posted anything in a very long time.. over 6 months of silence from my keys. Life got a bit hectic and I needed to place my focus on other things for a while. Now that things have settled down a little and life is back to a near-normal pace from the holidays, I feel like it's a perfect time to get back at this and keep posting up recipes that I have come up with and have loved, plus photography. Speaking of holidays, I was gifted some really, supremely awesome stuff this season on top of the biggest gift of them all--which is of course, spending quality time with my family. Seriously guys, cherish those that have been with you through it all, your brothers and sisters and especially your parents, they're your biggest and best support team out there.

                Without more jabbering from me.... I say..... Let's do this!

Luscious Leg of Lamb

All thawed and ready to go!

Start with your leg set out to come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 375 and while you're waiting

on it to come up to temp, prepare your spice rub. Like I said, I kept it pretty fresh and simple. I used about 6 fresh sage leaves, 3 fresh mint leaves, about 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary and about 6 cloves of garlic. I chopped them all to a dice and added olive oil until it resembled a paste, not so thick that it globs together, but not so thin that the oil just runs without the herbs attached.

Isn't my new chef's knife pretty!? J did a great job picking it out for me. 

Slightly drizzled with oil

Stirred with the oil

Once the leg is ready, rinse it off but ensure the netting stays in tact.



Next rub it down with the herb mixture, but first sprinkle it with an adequate amount of salt and pepper. Place it fat side up into a shallow roasting pan lightly drizzled with olive oil and then place it into the oven. My package said to roast at 325 for about 20 minutes per pound, but given that I had never eaten nor cooked lamb in my life, I opted to trust my gut and go up in temperature to 375 and to add an over all 15 minutes to the time. I wasn't disappointed.

While it roasts, begin working on your sides. For this dinner I prepared a Greek seasoned Orzo with Feta and Parmesan cheese, fresh pan roasted asparagus for J and pan seared Brussels Sprouts for myself.

 Let's start with the Orzo. Measure out 1 cup of Orzo and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese into bowls.

Also, these measuring cups stack up to be a mason jar shape, text included.

You will also need a 14.5 ounce can of chicken stock, or if you have home made handy, use in place of the canned. I didn't, so I settled for a can of stock.  In a medium sauce pan, melt roughly two tablespoons of butter with a pinch of salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of Greek seasoning. I use Cavender's. It comes in a big yellow container. Once the butter is melted, add the Orzo, stirring frequently over medium heat until it begins to look toasted and smell slightly nutty. I also can usually tell when this step is complete by the look of the butter in the pan, it should be somewhere between bubbly and foamy.

Just added to the pan, starting to toast. 

See? Somewhere between bubbly and foamy!

Once it has reached the bubbly-foamy bliss, add a can of chicken stock. I used a 14.5 ounce can of Swanson's chicken stock. It will bubble, hiss and pop for a second or two, but endure the attitude, it's worth it. Once you've added all the liquid, give it a good stir and add more seasoning should you choose. I did, and I also added salt and pepper. Give it another good stir and then cover and set it over low heat for it to simmer. It should take about 20 minutes for it to cook down correctly.



Next, I worked on the Brussels sprouts. First, clean them by running them under cool water and lightly scrubbing them with your hands, like you would a potato. Once they're clean, cut off the stem ends and cut them in half top-to-bottom.

All cleaned up

Then, place them into a pan with melted butter, cut side down. 

Allow these to cook over medium heat until they are browned on the cut side and a darker green on the leafy side. 

Darker green leafy side...plus butter. Yum

While the Brussels brown, I cut up my asparagus and put it into a pan that was drizzled with olive oil. Then I tossed the asparagus around in the oil a bit ( I used my hands, but feel free to use tongs or any other utensil) and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Turn the heat on under the pan to a medium low and let it come to temp. Once it's warmed, be sure to move the asparagus around the pan a bit so that no one spot gets cooked quicker than another.

Added to the pan.

Tossed about in the pan.

 At this point go ahead and check the Brussels. If they're browned, flip them over. If they lose a few leaves in the process, don't panic, just let them crisp up in the pan. They're delicious and if you let them crisp enough, almost like little Brussels chips.

Browned Brussels

 Leave them to cook until they're browned and of a soft, fork tender texture, but not so soft they're mushy.
Check on the Orzo. It should still have a little water left when it is done, but it should be soft.

Cooked Orzo

Stir in the parmesan and the Feta cheese. I used a heaping tablespoon of the Feta but you can use more or less, based on your tastes.

Mmm Feta

Yay Cheese!

Go ahead and pop the lid back on the pot over the Orzo if the lamb and vegetables are not yet done. It will hold for a very long time before it gets soggy. Also, how cute is this spatula? Look at the handle on it! Thanks Mom and Dad for the awesome Christmas gift!

Oh, I will always lick the spoon.... Always

Once your roast reaches the correct temperature for your tasting, 140 for rare, 160 for medium and 170 for well done, pull it from the oven and let it rest for around 10 minutes. I got mine out at around 160 but it was slightly less than medium, so I popped it back into a pan to finish up a bit, since I wanted it more towards a medium well.

Look at how pretty that is!

Go ahead and carve the lamb to the thickness you desire and enjoy the lovely aroma of all those beautiful herbs and garlic. Plate up and enjoy!

Annnnd now I'm just going to brag a bit. Look at how great all my new Christmas gifts look in my kitchen!

And now for the bare minimums, basic how- to recipe:

Roasted Leg of Lamb.
You will need:
1 leg of lamb
6 Sage leaves
3 Mint leaves
1 tbsp fresh Rosemary
Drizzle of olive oil x2, one for herbs, one for roasting pan.
6 cloves of garlic

For the sides:
1 cup Orzo
2 tbsp butter
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Greek Seasonings
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1 heaping tbsp Feta Cheese

1 Bunch asparagus
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Handful of Brussels sprouts
Butter to coat pan
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Mix chopped herbs and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil.
Once your leg of lamb is at room temp, rub it down with the spices above. Place fat side up in a shallow roasting pan and place in oven. Roast for around 20 minutes per pound.

While lamb is roasting, prepare sides. Begin with orzo. Toast uncooked orzo in melted butter until golden in color and nutty smelling, about 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Once the orzo is golden, add seasonings and pour in chicken stock. Stir, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let cook for around 20 minutes, or until orzo is tender and a little liquid remains. Stir in cheeses and recover until ready to serve.

In between the simmering time for the orzo, prepare your vegetables. Wash and trim Brussels sprouts. Half the sprouts top to bottom then place them cut side down in a pan with melted butter over a medium-low heat. Cook this way until browned, then flip and cook until fork tender but not mushy.

Cut the asparagus above the lower rubber band or break off each stem to avoid the thick, woody texture. Add cut asparagus to a pan drizzled with olive oil. Bring pan to medium heat and stir asparagus around in oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook until fork tender.

Once lamb is done, plate orzo, vegetables and carve the lamb, being careful to not hit the bone. Season with a little extra salt, if you'd like and enjoy!