5 shallots 8 mushrooms 5 kalamata olives 1/2 can artichoke hearts 4 green onions/scallions.
and sauted them in a little butter until the shallots just started getting translucent.
Then I put:
1 bulb garlic (individual cloves peeled, of course) 1 tsp ground Coriander 1 tsp cracked black pepper 1/2 tsp cumin 6 mint fresh leaves 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp dry rosemary (no fresh at the store ) splash of red wine vinegar.
into the miniprep and pulverized it for a while.
I added the herbs and spices to the pot with the veggies and mixed.
I took a half leg of lamb (deboned and butterflied by a very nice lady in the butcher department) and scored the inside in a 2" grid pattern.
I spread the mixture across the inside, rolled it up tight, and tied it with butcher twine.
This needs to be being eaten at two tomorrow. What's the best way to roast it? Di I sear it in a pan before roasting it? If so, how?
posted
I'm just curious what sort of elaborate recipie you're following that gave all the above info but not cooking instructions.
Yes, you're going to want to sear it and then roast it. I have a recipe at home that I'll check and post if no one else answers first. For now, stick it in the fridge.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Well my lamb books are at home (Ivygirl's looking for it as we speak) but I did find this on the web, and it seems to be a pretty good guideline for what I remember:
quote: Roasted to Perfection Before roasting your lamb, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to sit for 30 minutes or so. A piece of meat at room temperature will roast more evenly. It's always better to use a roasting rack to ensure even browning and heat circulation, so use one if you've got it, and buy one if you don't. The amount of fat that your piece of lamb has surrounding the outside and marbled through the middle will determine the cooking time and temperature you use. For a lean piece of meat, you'll want to put it in a blazing hot (450 degrees F/230 degrees C) oven for the first 15 minutes or so, and then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) to continue roasting. Using this method, the meat will take about 25 minutes per pound to reach medium rare. Using a hot oven in this manner will allow leaner cuts of meat to get nicely browned on the outside before they become overcooked and dry in the middle.
Fattier pieces of meat, on the other hand, are better when roasted at a lower temperature (325 degrees F/160 degrees C) for a longer period of time, allowing the fat to slowly melt and bathe the tender roast in its own juices. Meat cooked with this method will take about 30 minutes per pound to reach medium rare. The most accurate way to determine doneness is with a meat thermometer : 110 degrees F (42 degrees C) is rare, 120 degrees F (58 degrees C) is medium-rare, and 145 degrees F (68 degrees C) is medium-well. We don't recommend that you cook your lamb beyond this temperature, or it will become dried-out and tough.
Rest Your Roast! Once your roast is within 10 degrees F (5 degrees C) of its ideal doneness, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 or 20 minutes with a tent of foil placed very loosely over it. As the meat rests, the internal temperature will increase by a several degrees, the muscle fibers will relax, and the juice that has come to the surface of the meat during cooking will begin to return to the center. A well-rested piece of meat will be more tender, and will retain its juices better when you slice it.
posted
Off the top of my head (but I can look up more official instructions if you want:
preheat the oven to 500 degrees or so
turn the heat down to 350 or so when you put the lamb in
roast for about 30 minutes per pound of meat. Use a meat thermometer to be sure, and remember [this is very important and often overlooked] that the meat continues to cook inside after being taken out of the oven, so don't wait for the thermometer to say well done to take it out. Doing so only dries it out.
Have you ever used Reynold's Oven Bags? They really help your roasted meats be juicier. I strongly recommend using them. If not, just put the meat on your roasting pan.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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According to my lamb notes at home, the temps should be: Rare: 140, Medium: 150, Medium-well, 160
so that is above what the web site recommended.
and "450 for 15 minutes in preheated oven and then reduce to 325 for 1 1/2 hours" is the one I have used before -- but I don't know how large of a leg that was.
quote:I added the herbs and spices to the pot with the veggies and mixed.
Uh - Dag -- can I ask? Did the "spices" include salt?
quote:Season the lamb however you like, but remember one important thing: Never, ever salt it until just before cooking! Salt will leach the moisture out of the meat, leaving you with a bone-dry roast.
quote:I'm just curious what sort of elaborate recipie you're following that gave all the above info but not cooking instructions.
I saw the idea years ago on a cooking show, but they grilled it. They also just used garlic and rosemary.
The specifics were created while I was shopping today, although I’ve used the specific spices in lamb patties before.
quote:How big a leg? (how many pounds). Yes, you will need a thermometer to check internal temp
3.5 pounds before the bone came out. It was a very small bone (only one joint). So maybe 3.25 pounds of meet. It has a thin but even layer of fat around 90% of the outside, so it looks like I’ll go slow. It sounds like it’ll be about 95-100 minutes for medium rare, then let it rest for 10 minutes. Are those cooking times the same if I use the Reynolds roasting bags?
If I use a thermometer, do I leave it in the whole time it’s cooking? And how far do I stick it in? Is it OK if some of the shaft between the dial and the meat is exposed? I’ve never really roasted before – I’m more of a griller when it comes to meat.
Also, can I make stock out of the bone?
Thanks for the info, Farmgirl and Icarus. Sorry I made everyone’s mouth water. (A little sorry, anyway .)
posted
Hmmm.. I've never taken the bone out prior to roasting, always did bone-in. But I don't think that will make much difference on your times at all.
quote: Are those cooking times the same if I use the Reynolds roasting bags?
Yes, but remember the cooking times are guidelines, while the thermometer is what matters most. Be sure to follow instructions with the bags wrt venting the bags and stuff.
Part of the thermometer shaft can (and probably should) stick out. The point should not be touching bone or a fat concentration.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
And as any self-respecting lawyer will tell you, when you roll a leg of lamb, you check the pockets for loose change and leave your business card for a personal injury claim.
posted
I think what always irks me is how we always passover the original puns for tired old cliches.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I wouldn't bother with the thermometer myself.
As long as you follow the temperature and time/pound guide you should be fine. Plus, unlike chicken, lamb is fine (both in taste and hygeine) rare.
When you rest the leg, cover it with alfoil (or something to keep the heat in). Otherwise your meat will be cold by the time you have carved and served it.
Good luck!
(We're doing the whole dinner thing tonight - but no roasts. We discovered a local asian grocery that sells proper frozen paratha so we're going curry mad. Jeera chicken, aloo sag, mussaman curry and rogan josh. Yum.)
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I've been trying to come up with a good sheep/lamb pun but all this wool-gathering has produced meager results. What few puns I've thought of were so weak I had to discard them.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Weave it be, punwit. It's a close-knit community, we'll still respect you. We've herd some good puns from you before, and people flock to your yarns. You're not the black sheep of this family.
I'm shear you wool come up with a pun ovinetually, by hook or by crook. Until then, eat, drink, and be Mary on this Thanksgiving day, and when you next take up your pen, you'll probably come up with three bags full. I just want to ram that point home.
posted
So how did your lamb turn out? Did Eve like it? Shear really owes a lot to this (wool) thread if it turned out well. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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