Monday, May 10, 2010

Delish Date Night In: Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic


The hubs and I had an absolutely delish date night in this weekend. We've made lamb chops quite a few times before which are very yummy, but being that we are now in "saving for a home" mode, leg of lamb is a bit more economical. I've also really been wanting to try making it and I have to say, it was a success!

The garlic and rosemary herb paste was super easy and gave the lamb just the hint more flavor it needed. Leg of lamb is a fairly inexpensive, very tasty protein. We paid about $15 for 2-3 pounds of meat which fed the hubs and I with a little left over for the pups to try. This is cheaper than many cuts of beef and is guaranteed almost always more tender. This recipe serves 6-8- makes a great dish for a dinner party- but I purchased about half the size of lamb that it called for since it was just for the two of us. I did make the entire amount of herb paste though, just to make sure I had plenty to rub the lamb. I ended up with about a quarter of the mixture left.

Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic

1/4 cup minced fresh rosemary
8 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp sweet paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 leg of lamb, 4-5 pounds, bone removed and butterflied (get a boneless leg of lamb from the butcher counter and it should be good to go)

In a food processor, combine rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, 1tbsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper with just enough oil to make a coarse paste. Rub herb paste generously allover the lamb. Put lamb in a baking dish or zippered plastic bag and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour (or overnight in fridge- I just did 1 hour at room temperature). Preheat grill to medium high heat. Once hot, keep one burner on medium high and turn off other burners.

Grill lamb directly over medium high heat until well browned, turning once, 5-7 minutes each side. Transfer lamb, skin side down, to unheated part of grill. Cover grill and cook 30 minutes. Check lamb by cutting into thickest part of meat or insert an instant read thermometer. Lamb should be about medium rare, still pink inside. Instant read thermometer should register 130 degrees. If needed, continue cooking up to 20 minutes longer.

Transfer lamb to platter, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Slice lamb on diagonal, across the grain, about 1/2-3/4 inch thick slices, and serve.

recipe courtesy of The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook: The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Cook
photo courtesy of Ben Fink Photo Inc.

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