Sun Dried Tomato And Herb Stuffed Leg Of Lamb Recipes

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
• Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
• In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
• Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

HERB-STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Finely chop parsley and garlic together and transfer to a small bowl, then stir in chives.
• Open lamb like a book, fat side down, on a work surface and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread herb mixture evenly over lamb, then fold lamb back into original shape and tie with string at 1-inch intervals. Pat lamb dry and transfer to a small roasting pan. Rub lamb with oil and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Roast lamb until thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into lamb averages 135 to 140°F for medium-rare (test in several places, as different parts of leg cook at different speeds), 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 30 minutes before slicing. Cut off and discard string and serve lamb warm or at room temperature.
• *Available at most supermarkets.

STUFFED GREEK LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Lay out the leg of lamb on cutting board with the inside of the lamb facing you. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the lamb. Sprinkle oregano and basil over the lamb. Top lamb with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
• Roll the lamb around the stuffing. Bundle the lamb with kitchen twine to keep from unrolling. Wrap lamb in aluminum foil and place in a baking dish.
• Roast in preheated oven to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 150 degrees F (70 degrees C) for medium, about 90 minutes. Set aside to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing. Reserve pan juices for serving.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND HERB STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Open out lamb leg, I pounded with a meat mallet to even out thickness. (Read note above about cutting leg for stuffing.).
• Heat a little oil in a pan, add crushed garlic, and shallot and cook until shallot has softened.
• In a bowl combine stuffing mix, garlic/shallot mix, rosemary and tomatoes, spread stuffing evenly over lamb, carefully roll lamb up to form a log roll, secure with kitchen string.
• Slice slits into top of lamb at intervals, push sliced garlic into slits, sprinkle top with listed herbs.
• Place in an ovenproof dish and roast for about 1hr 30-45 Min's or until cooked as desired.
• Let meat stand before slicing.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB, MIDDLE EASTERN STYLE

Steps:

• Marinade: In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon zaatar mix and 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced. Season the trimmed leg of lamb with salt and pepper, to taste, and put it into a resealable plastic bag. Pour in the marinade and seal the bag. Refrigerate and let sit as long as you can, even overnight.
• Light the grill, putting the coals all on 1 side.
• Stuffing: Put the remaining garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the feta and pulse just to break it up, then slowly drizzle in just enough olive oil so the consistency is just barely creamy but not too loose (about 1/4 cup), stopping to scrape down the sides. Add the blanched spinach, 1 tablespoon of the zaatar spice mix, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and a little black pepper, and mix until blended but still a little chunky.
• Take the lamb out of the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the inside with lemon zest and fresh thyme, then add a layer of arugula leaves. Carefully spread stuffing over the inside of leg, being careful not to spread it all the way to the edge. Grab the end closest to you and slowly roll the leg up. Tie well with butchers twine. Liberally sprinkle the outside of the lamb with shawarma spice.
• Put the lamb directly over the coals on the hot side of the grill and sear it quickly, until the outside develops a nice crust, maybe 2 minutes per side. Then move the lamb away from the coals, cover the grill and let it cook for 45 minutes or so, checking after 30 minutes and turning several times. When the lamb is done, take it off the grill, put it on a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes. To serve, cut in 1 1/2-inch thick slices, and arrange on a serving platter, making sure to remove any pieces of twine.

HERB STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Ask a butcher to remove all bones, except shank, and to clean meat of all sinew and excess fat inside and out. Butterfly leg for stuffing.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay lamb flat on counter. Using a sharp knife, make several slits, about 2 inches long by 1/4 inch deep, so seasonings can penetrate meat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread garlic evenly on top, then cover with herbs. Roll meat to enclose stuffing and tie with string at 1 inch intervals, keeping the diameter of the roll the same so that the roast cooks evenly. Shank bone will protrude at one end. Generously season outside with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown lamb on all sides. Roast on rack in roasting pan 30 to 40 minutes for medium rare, 1 hour for well done. (A meat thermometer inserted in center should read 160 or 165 degrees F or a thinbladed knife inserted to the center for 20 seconds should feel lukewarm on your lips.) Let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes before carving, so juices can run to center. Remove strings and slice meat thinly across the roll. Serve with Roasted Eggplant and Myzithra Cheese Puree. To reheat carved lamb, place slices on a sheet pan, cover with a wet towel, and bake 5 minutes at 375 degrees F. Use leftover meat and puree for pita sandwiches.

GORDON HAMERSLEY'S BONED STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the lamb bones in a roasting pan and roast for about 45 minutes. Roughly chop the unpeeled onion, the carrots and the celery and add to the roasting pan with the tomato paste. Mix to distribute the vegetables and coat them with tomato paste and fat from the lamb. Return to the oven and roast an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove bones and vegetables from the pan and place them in a stock pot that is just large enough to hold them comfortably. Deglaze the roasting pan with the red wine over high heat and add to the stock pot. Then add enough chicken stock or water to just cover the bones in the pan. Bring to a boil, skim any scum that rises and add a pinch of salt, two cloves of garlic, the bay leaf and peppercorns. Lower the heat to simmering, partially cover the stock pot and simmer for at least two hours. At the end of this time, the stock should have a destinctive lamb flavor.
• Remove stock from the heat and strain through a coarse sieve. Return strained stock to the pan and cook briskly to reduce and thicken the stock. You should have about four cups of sauce when it is reduced.
• While the sauce is cooking, clean and rinse the kale, stripping the leaves from the ribs. Discard the ribs. In a saute pan over medium high heat saute the kale in three tablespoons of olive oil until it is softened but still a little crisp to the bite. (You may need to add a bit of water to keep the kale from burning.) Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Roast the red peppers over a gas flame, an electric grill or in a preheated broiler, turning until the outsides are blackened. Place in a paper bag for about 15 minutes to soften the skins. Then peel the peppers, discard the seeds and inner membranes and cut in thick slices.
• Roughly chop the olives together with the peeled shallot and remaining garlic cloves. Mix in dried herbs.
• Spread the butterflied lamb out on a countertop, skin side down. If the butcher has left the nugget of fat on the inside of the leg, remove and discard it. Layer the kale over the lamb, then layer the strips of red pepper over that. Sprinkle the olives, garlic and shallot pieces over the pepper strips, then sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper and about half the one-quarter cup of olive oil over the vegetables.
• Roll the lamb leg, securing the stuffing, and tie it in several places with butcher's twine, tucking in the loose flaps at both ends. The result will be a long cylinder.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the lamb roll on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for exactly one hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Carve in thick (one-half to three-quarter-inch) slices and serve on heated plates with a little of the hot sauce. Pass the rest of the sauce in a sauce boat.