Tapenade Stuffed Leg Of Lamb Recipes

TAPENADE-STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a roasting pan just large enough to hold the lamb. Place a rack in the pan.
• Stuff the lamb Unroll the lamb and spread the boned-out side with the tapenade. Roll up the lamb tightly. Tie it at 2-inch intervals with kitchen twine. With a small, sharp knife, cut slits 2 or 3 inches apart in the top of the roast. Push the garlic slices into the slits. Sprinkle the roast all over with the rosemary, salt, and pepper.
• Roast the lamb for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. To check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. For medium-rare, the temperature should be 140 to 150°F. Cover loosely with foil and let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
• To serve Cut into thin slices.

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.

OLIVE-STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Lamb:
• Preheat oven to 425°. Finely chop shallot, garlic, nuts, olives, anchovies, lemon zest, mint, parsley, and thyme in a food processor. With motor running, stream in 1/2 cup oil; process until blended. Season stuffing with salt and pepper.
• Unfold lamb on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing over top; roll up lamb from left to right. Position seam side down and tie closed with kitchen twine at 1 1/2" intervals crosswise, then once lengthwise. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil.
• Roast until lamb is starting to brown, 30-40 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325° and continue to roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125°, 35-45 minutes longer. Remove lamb from oven and tent with foil; let rest 15-20 minutes.
• Do ahead: Lamb can be stuffed and tied 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before roasting.
• Assembly:
• While lamb rests, process cheese, garlic, lemon zest, and thyme in food processor until light, fluffy, and smooth. With motor running, stream in 1/2 cup oil; process until blended. Season herbed cheese with salt and pepper.
• Dress watercress in a large bowl with lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Slice lamb and serve with watercress, herbed cheese, and flatbread.

BONED LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH TAPENADE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make tapenade: In a food processor, combine olives, almonds, anchovies, capers, 3 garlic cloves and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Process to form a smooth paste, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 2 minutes.
• Season both sides of lamb generously with salt and pepper. Lay meat on a clean work surface, skin side down. Spread tapenade over the top. Starting with one short end, roll up lamb in the shape of a football; secure with twine.
• Place the flour on a plate; season with salt and pepper. Place eggs and breadcrumbs separately on two plates. Dredge lamb first in flour, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Dredge in breadcrumbs.
• Place lamb in a small roasting pan, and surround with remaining garlic cloves, 1/2 cup white wine, and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Drizzle remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil directly over lamb.
• Roast in oven until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 130 degrees on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If roasting pan becomes too dry, add up to 1/2 cup chicken stock as needed to keep garlic from burning.
• Transfer lamb to a cutting board, and remove and discard twine; let lamb rest 10 minutes before slicing. Set garlic aside, and pour pan juices from roasting pan into a small bowl, skimming off fat that rises to the top.
• Make sauce: Place roasting pan over medium heat. Return skimmed cooking juices to pan, and add remaining 1/2 cup wine and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the sauce gently boils. Pass sauce and garlic through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, pressing with the spoon to extract as much garlic as possible.
• Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer gently, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot with sliced lamb roast.

HERB CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB WITH TAPENADE

Steps:

• De-bone and trim the leg well or have your butcher do it. Smash the garlic cloves and mix with the rosemary, thyme sprigs, and cracked pepper. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil and rub all over the meat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator, for 1 to 2 days. Remove the herb sprigs and garlic cloves from the meat.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the chopped garlic, rosemary, and thyme with enough olive oil to dampen into an almost paste-like consistency. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Season the lamb well with salt and pepper. Spread the interior liberally with tapenade. Roll up and tie with string. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place the lamb in the pan, fat-side down. Sear until golden and turn over so that all sides are seared. Place fat side up in the pan and use a large fork to hold the lamb while you drain off any excess fat.
• Pat the chopped herbed mixture all over the outside of the lamb. Add 2 cups of water to the pan and roast for 1 1/2 hours until a meat thermometer reads 125 degrees F. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly and serve with roasted potatoes. Serve extra tapenade on the side or pan juices.
• Place all the ingredients except the olive oil and the parsley in a food processor. Chop coarsely by pulsing the machine. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse a few more times, season with salt and pepper. Fold in the parsley by hand. The tapenade is best when made a day in advance so flavors have time to marry.

GARLIC-STUFFED LAMB LOIN BITES

Steps:

• In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and chili flakes over low heat for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add the oregano, garlic and lemon zest. Pour mixture out of the pan and into a bowl. Allow to cool.
• For the lamb skewers:
• Slice lamb loin lengthwise (as if filleting) into 2 pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Using a mallet or the heel of your palm, lightly pound meat to about 1/4-inch thickness then cut each in half lengthwise. Place meat in a non-metallic dish and pour reserved oregano marinade over the meat. Turn several times to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare grill or preheat broiler.
• Remove lamb from marinade and discard marinade. Spread about 1 tablespoon garlic paste on each of the lamb pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Roll meat lengthwise end to end and place on skewers. Brush with olive oil. Grill or broil to desired doneness, 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare meat, depending on heat of grill. Turn meat occasionally to ensure even cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic. Cut off the top 1/3 of the heads to open the cloves. Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them. Season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly, place in the oven, and roast until about 3/4 cooked, about 45 minutes. Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• When garlic is cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl. Press against the skins very well to get out all the sweet roasted garlic you can. Add the oil from the baking dish and mix well until a paste forms. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.

ANNE THEOHAROUS'S ROAST LEG OF LAMB A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• It is recommended that you have the butcher remove and set aside the hipbone of the lamb. This is the upper bone that is attached to the main (straight) leg bone. This can also be done in the home kitchen, using a thin, sharp boning knife, neatly cutting all around the meat attached to the hipbone and severing the hipbone from the main bone. Cut off and discard the skin, leaving a light layer of fat.
• Rub two tablespoons of the lemon juice all over the lamb. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Sprinkle one and one-half tablespoons of the oregano over the meat and rub it in.
• Make several deep gashes over the meat. Insert slivers of garlic in the gashes.
• Place the meat and the hipbone in a roasting pan and place the pan in the oven. Do not cover. Bake 40 minutes. Pour off the fat.
• Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees. Pour one and one-half cups of water around the lamb and scatter the onions and celery all around. Bake, basting occasionally, about three hours longer. Check often and, when necessary, add more water.
• Sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining one-half tablespoon of lemon juice, salt, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oregano.
• Make four deep gashes in the meaty part of the lamb and turn the lamb cut side down in the pan. Add a little more water if necessary. Scatter the potatoes all around the lamb and continue baking 30 minutes.
• Turn the potatoes so that they brown on all sides. Turn the lamb and make four more gashes on this side. Place the lamb second side down and continue baking 30 minutes or until the potatoes are thoroughly tender.
• Remove the pan from the oven and discard the celery, onions and hipbone. Put the lamb on a carving board or dish. Put the potatoes in a serving dish. Pour the pan liquid into a bowl and skim off the fat. Pour the remaining pan liquid into a saucepan and reheat. Slice the lamb and serve with the pan liquid and potatoes.