Roast Baby Lamb Recipes

ROAST LEG OF BABY LAMB

Steps:

• Cut small slits in the lamb, inserting garlic cloves into the slits. Rub the lamb lightly with olive oil, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• Bring the lamb to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, rubbing seasonings into the flesh. Pour a thin film of olive oil into a heatproof roasting pan, gratin dish or ovenproof skillet. Place on top of the stove over medium heat. Brown the lamb, turning carefully once or twice, until golden on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Scatter lamb bones around the leg and place the pan in the oven. Roast 20 minutes.
• Scatter the vegetables (except the fava beans) around the lamb and roast 10 minutes longer. Pour the wine and water around the lamb and roast another 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the lamb to a plate, wrap loosely in aluminum foil and let rest for 30 to 60 minutes. Strain the pan juices (do not degrease), then season the juices and keep warm.
• While the lamb is roasting, remove the fava beans from their pods, peeling off the thin skin that surrounds each bean. Blanch the beans, uncovered, in a large pot of boiling salted water for three minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, drain again and set aside.
• Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add the spring onion and cook until softened, two or three minutes. Add the fava beans and cook gently, stirring, for five minutes. Stir in the reserved lamb juices; heat through for a moment. Add the savory leaves and correct seasonings. Place the fava beans in the center of a warm serving platter. Unwrap the lamb and place it carefully over the beans. Carve the lamb into slices at the table and serve with the fava beans and their juices, garnishing each portion with a sprig or two of savory.

HERB-ROASTED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven so the lamb will sit in the middle of the oven.
• Peel 6 of the cloves of garlic and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and butter. Process until the garlic and rosemary are finely minced. Thoroughly coat the top and sides of the lamb with the rosemary mixture. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Toss the potatoes and remaining unpeeled garlic in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees F and roast for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the potatoes.

HERBED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• To make the lamb:
• In a large roasting pan stir together the tomatoes, the mushrooms, the bell pepper, the yellow onion, the shallots, the garlic, the pearl onions, the rosemary, orégano, and thyme sprig, 1/4 cup of the oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the lamb, patted dry, on top of the vegetable mixture, drizzle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and season it with salt and pepper. Roast the lamb and the vegetables in the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F., and roast the lamb and stirring the vegetables every 20 minutes, for 1 hour and 20 minutes more, or until the lamb registers 145°F. on a meat thermometer for medium-rare meat.
• Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it stand, covered loosely with foil, for 15 minutes. Reserve the pearl onions for the mixed baby vegetables. Transfer the lamb to a platter, spoon the baby vegetables around it, and garnish the lamb with the mint sprigs. If planning to make the stuffed cabbage reserve 1 pound of the lamb.
• To make the mixed vegetables:
• In a kettle of boiling salted water cook separately the zucchini, the pattypan squash, the carrots, and the haricots verts until each vegetable is crisp-tender and cook the potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice, until it is cooked through, transferring the vegetables as they are cooked with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the vegetables and pat them dry. The vegetables may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• In a large skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the zucchini, the pattypan squash, the carrots, the haricots verts, and the onions for 3 minutes, or until they are heated through. Stir in the potato, the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté the mixture for 1 minute. Serves 4.

ROAST BABY LAMB

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss all ingredients except the beef stock until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, tossing occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Transfer the contents of the refrigerated bowl to a roasting pan large enough to accommodate a single layer of vegetables covered by a single layer of meat. Add the stock and roast, basting and turning the lamb frequently, until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the lamb from the pan and set it aside. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the pan liquids. Place the pan over high heat and boil until the liquids reduce to about 1 1/4 cups. Transfer the meat to a smaller roasting pan and strain the reduced sauce over it. Place the meat in the oven and roast, turning meat every 10 minutes, until extremely tender, brown, and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes.
• Strain the juices from the pan and, if necessary, reduce further over moderately high heat; there should be 1/2 cup of finished sauce. Transfer the lamb to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over it.
• Recommended wine-I like Abbazia di Rosazzo's Ronco dei Roseti with roast baby lamb.

ROAST LEG OF YOUNG LAMB

Steps:

• Trim and discard excess fat from lamb. Using a sharp-pointed knife, make little angled incisions all over the lamb and stuff the incisions with slices of garlic and sprigs of the fresh herbs. Rub lamb with the oil; then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set lamb aside in a cool place to marinate for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and cook 30 to 50 minutes longer, depending on the size. Total cooking time for medium rare should be 10 minutes to the pound. When lamb is done, remove to a serving platter and let rest 10 to 20 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, prepare sauce by first removing fat from roasting pan and setting pan over medium-high heat. Add vinegar to pan and boil, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping to get all the brown bits. Add stock, raise heat to high and boil about 5 minutes to thicken stock. Remove from heat and taste, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Strain sauce into a gravy bowl to serve with carved lamb.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• For the cleanest-looking presentation, trim 1 1/2 inches of flesh from the shank bone with a sharp paring knife. (Your butcher may be willing to do this for you.)
• The fell is a thin outer layer of fat that you may find if you buy an untrimmed leg from a butcher. It's very tough, so it's important to remove all of it. A long knife with a sharp thin blade is the best tool for the job.
• Trim the excess fat that lies beneath the fell, but leave enough to enrich the meat and gravy. It also crisps up nicely when broiled, which helps give the carved slices great texture. Use shears to trim the fat pads around the hip, or large end.
• Make incisions 1 inch long and 1/2 inch deep all over the leg; they?ll allow the aromatic rub to penetrate the meat more easily. Roughening the surface in this way also results in a crisper, more flavorful crust after broiling.
• Stir together salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, mustard, and oil in a small bowl until it forms a wet paste. Spread rub evenly over lamb, working it into the incisions. Let lamb sit at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Transfer lamb, fat side up, to a large roasting pan fitted with a rack, and add broth. Roast lamb 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of flesh near the bone reaches 130 degrees to 135 degrees (medium-rare), about 55 minutes. Increase temperature to broil; broil until surface sizzles and becomes brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer lamb to a platter or carving board; let rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

OVEN-ROASTED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Cut away excess fat from the lamb chops (some fat does add flavor). Coat each chop lightly in olive oil. Dust lamb chops with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place lamb chops in a cast iron skillet.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for medium-well doneness.
• Remove from the oven and cover tightly with foil; let rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with mint jelly on the side,