honey-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetableshoney-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetables

TICK-TOCK & DING-DONG & JINGLING BELLS & HO-HO-HO & LITTLE KIDS GIGGLING & GROWN-UPS CLINKING-CLANKING GLASSES and ME, STILL GETTING ALL EXCITED ABOUT HOLIDAY MEAL PREPARATIONS (even at my age) and when it comes to preparing all that stuff, I’m a lot of things but I’m definitely not lazy !

IT’S A COUNTDOWN . . . tick-tock.

First, I start off with the candied & glazed chestnuts which take 7 days (see this month’s recipe here) and then maybe the salt-cured & dried meats appetizers which also require at least 1 week (see last year’s recipes here), then the salt-cured foie gras which requires 5 days (see last week’s recipe here), then the dessert (probably a holiday yule log which is prepared 2 days in advance (maybe next week’s recipe) and finally the main meal consisting of something huge and roasted with vegetables (which is today’s recipe which must be begun 36 hours before serving time) . . .

BE A FOOD WARRIOR ! (the movie I AM LEGEND was on the television a few nights ago).

Everybody needs at least 3 recipe variations for a roasted leg of lamb meal : a fall and/or early spring version (quite grassy, herby & earthy, see the recipe here), a late spring or summer version (very bright, aromatic, lemony & fresh and I’ll probably publish that next year) and a wintery version (more colorful with warm winter spices, citrus and fruity accents and honeyed sweetness).

Your holiday meal will very probably be amongst friends and family, in a home filled with warmth, kitchen smells, the clinking of glasses, chattering & laughter (I hope) and some stress, as many actually and genuinely try to lend a helping hand while others adopt the furtive strategy of actually trying to escape that heavy responsibility because the knife-wielding head cook will seek revenge if something is dropped or if the instructions are not telepathically understood … that’s family, right ?!

This version of roasted leg of lamb is warm, herby, spicy, zesty, honey-sweet and served with more than just vegetables with wintery chestnuts and soaked,  replumped driets fruits, with a guest star appearance of bright red pomegranate seeds and some bright green fresh herbs to give it even more color.

*start everything 36 hours before serving (but we talked about that, right ?!).

The holidays are just around the corner so i'll see you very soon and YES I’M EXCITED (but I already mentioned that too) . . . :)

honey-glazed roasted leg of lamb with fruits & vegetables

14.12.2017

6-8

ingredients

meat :

  • 2 kg leg of lamb
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
  • 15 grams (1 tbsp) sea salt

vegetables :

  • 750 grams (6 cups) baby potatoes (washed & unpeeled)
  • 250 grams (2 cups) small (pearl) onions (peeled)
  • 250 grams (2 cups) chestnuts (peeled)
  • 250 grams (3 cups) large mushrooms (stems removed)
  • 3,5 litres (14-15 cups) cold water
  • 50 grams (3 ½ tbsp) coarse salt
  • 50 ml (3 ½ tbsp) white vinegar

marinade & sauce (about 2 cups; half for the lamb & half for the vegetables) :

  • 175 grams (½ cup) thyme honey
  • 120 ml (½ cup) olive oil
  • 120 grams (2 small) onions
  • 30 grams (4 cloves) garlic
  • 8 fresh bay leaves (or 4 dried)
  • 10 grams (4 tbsp) fresh rosemary needles (or 2 tbsp dried)
  • 5 grams (2 tbsp) fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tbsp dried)
  • 10 grams (2 tbsp) orange zest
  • 5 grams (1 tbsp) lemon zest
  • 1,5 grams (1 tsp) lime zest
  • 3 grams (1 tsp) mustard seed
  • 3 grams (1 tsp) coriander seed
  • 2 grams (1 tsp) coarsely ground mixed peppercorns (black, white, green, pink)
  • 2 grams (1 tsp) coarsely ground allspice
  • 1 gram (½ tsp) coarsely ground cloves
  • 30 grams (2 tbsp) sea salt
  • + extra 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil for baking the vegetables
  • + extra 60 ml (¼ cup) water for baking the vegetables

dried fruits garnish :

  • 225 grams (1½ cups) mixed dried fruits (figs, dates, apricots, raisins, cranberries, prunes)
  • 2 tbsp fresh herbs (rosemary & flat-leaf parsley)
  • optional : 2 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds (uncooked)

instructions

  • 36 hours before, score the meat in a diagonal pattern and brush with the lemon juice on all sides and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with the salt and let sit another 15 minutes
  • prepare the marinade by combining all ingredients in a food processor and reserve half for the lamb and half for the vegetables
  • spread the marinade all over the lamb, wrap in plastic film and let marinade in the refrigerator for 24 hours minimum
  • peel the onions, leave the skins on the baby potatoes (or peel if you prefer) and prepare the chestnuts (if not shelled, then remove shells & skins like I did in the recipe 2 weeks ago but it's not that easy or use frozen or jarred peeled chestnuts, not those packed in water), remove stalks from mushrooms and set aside
  • place the peeled chestnuts (if not pre-cooked) in a large casserole with 3 ½  liters of cold water with 3 ½  tbsp of coarse salt and 3 ½  tbsp of white vinegar and bring everything to a boil and let boil for 30 minutes until slightly tender, then add the potatoes and let boil for another 15 minutes (if the chestnuts are pre-cooked and firm, add them at the same time as the potatoes)
  • remove the pot of boiled vegetables from the heat, discard the hot water, add cold water to cool everything down and then drain the water, place the boiled potatoes and chestnuts in a large oven-baking dish, add the whole peeled onions and the whole mushrooms, toss with 1 cup of sauce and an additional ¼ cup of olive oil and ¼ cup of water
  • remove the marinated lamb from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 230°C
  • remove the plastic film and then wrap the lamb in baking paper and then wrap tightly in aluminum foil and bake on a rack for 1 hour at high heat at 230°C then lower heat to 120°C and bake for an additional 2 hours and at the same time, add the uncovered oven-baking dish with the mixed vegetables under the rack with the leg of lamb
  • boil a small casserole of water, remove from heat and toss in the dried fruits so they can rehydrate for 10-15 minutes (and increase in weight and size to 375 grams or 2 ¾ cups)
  • after the 3 hours of baking, remove aluminum foil and baking paper from the lamb and broil for 10 minutes on each side, add the dried fruits to the vegetables and stir
  • serve the roasted leg of lamb with the cooked vegetables and dried fruits, sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds and some fresh herbs (for added color).

recette suivante

holiday-spiced & salt-cured foie gras

holiday-spiced & salt-cured foie gras

MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR with "FOIE GRAS" & SOME OF YOU ARE NOT … SOME OF YOU LIKE IT & SOME DON’T ... SOME LIKE IT and ACCEPT IT & SOME USED TO LIKE IT...

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