Elaine Cooks

Lamb, however prepared, is traditionally served on Sunday Easter in homage to Jesus his sacrifices, and his ultimate resurrection. On a lighter note, I separately grew up enjoying watching Shari Lewis’ comedy skits with her sock puppet “Lamb Chop“, but I digress….

For this holiday meal, I opted for a petite boneless leg of lamb, 2-3 pounds, simply seasoned with sliced garlic cloves, and dried herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, parsley and oregano, and roasted with thickly diced small white potatoes and sliced red onions.

Serves 4.

Mangia!

Ingredients

• 2-3 pound boneless leg of lamb
• 3- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil (with 1 tbsp. reserved for the potatoes and 1/2 tbsp. reserved for the spinach)
• 2 c. fresh spinach
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 12 ounces small white potatoes, thickly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/2 c. dry red wine
• 1-1/2 tbsp. brandy (with 1/2 tbsp. brandy reserved for spinach)
• 1/4 c. beef broth (reserved, if necessary, to add liquid to bottom of dutch oven after caramelizing red onions)
• 1/4 tsp. each of dried rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder
• small white potatoes, chopped and tossed with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. each of garlic powder and onion powder and 1/4 tsp. dried parsley, and kosher salt and freshly grounded pepper, to taste

Recipe

Lamb Marinade

Place lamb in a ziplock bag with 1/4 c. olive oil, sliced garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper. Allow at least up to 12 hours and up to 24 hours to marinate, if possible.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large dutch oven, add 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all 4 sides (approximately 10 minutes overall). Remove the lamb and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions (instead of the lid, I recommend using a splatter screen*). Once caramelized, carefully add the brandy, quickly scraping the pan with any bits until evaporated. Add the potatoes tossed with olive oil, garlic powder and dried parsley. Top with the lamb, pour on top the red wine and beef broth, if necessary to add liquid. Cover, and place in the oven. Cover for approximately 25 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees of the roast. Allow up to 10 minutes to rest before slicing and serving.

Serving Presentation

While the lamb is resting, place potatoes with the onions and some sauteed spinach**, on a serving platter. Slice the lamb roast and place them atop the potatoes, onions and spinach. Drizzle with any sauce remaining in the dutch oven.

Spinach as a Side Dish

I recommend serving with sauteed spinach, as a side dish, caramelized with slight red onions and a hint of brandy.

*Tip: When caramelizing and browning anything on the stove, I like to use a splatter screen to minimize splashing of hot oil on the stove top and counter (available on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kole-HP011-Splatter-Screen)

**Tip: When sauteeing the spinach, I recommend caramelizing this side dish in a pre-warmed cast iron skillet with 1 tsp. brandy and 1 tsp. olive oil.

Buon Appetito!