Sunday lunch: Roasted leg of lamb
What is a better way to spend a rainy afternoon at home, than with your family?
What is a better way to have your family over than to have a nice lunch?
And what is a better way to have a family lunch than to serve warm comfort food made with lot of love?
Ingredients
For the roasted lamb leg
1 boneless leg of lamb
5-6 baby carrots
5-6 garlic cloves
7-8 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbs brandy
For the mint & spinach stew
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lbs baby spinach
2 cups chopped fresh mint
3 cups chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup cooking wine ( white!)
1 tbs salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp flour
1. Preheat the oven at 400F.
2. Wash the leg of lamb and spread it on a cutting board skin down. Make couple of incisions on the inside of the meat and stuff the cloves in them. Place the carrots on top, ad 2 bay leaves and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Roll the meat so the carrots and cloves are going to stay on the inside ( like stuffing) and cover with a cooking net.
4. Place the rest of the bay leaves on top of the skin under the net and season well.
5. In a large skillet place the olive oil and heat to medium high. Add the leg of lamb and sear.
6. Remove the leg of lamb from the skillet and bake it in a greased pan with the 4 tbs brandy, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour on 350F or until the meat thermometer shows 160 F ( for well done!).
* for more information on cooking lamb, look at this.
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7. In the mean time while waiting for the roasted leg to bake, wash and cut the vegetables for the stew.
In a frying pan place 2 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium high.
8. Place the green peppers in the pan and stir well. After one minute add the chopped spinach, garlic and mint. Stir well again. In 5 minutes add the cooking wine, salt and pepper and stir well.
9. In a separate bowl stir the 3 tbsp flour with the paprika with 1 cup water. It has to be liquid enough to pour it into the stew! Stir well and add it to the stew.
10. Stir for 5 minutes the stew and when the flour is well incorporated, place the stove to Low and cover with a lid. Leave it for 10-15 minutes or until done.
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11. When the lamb is done, remove the aluminum foil and broil it on normal for 5 minutes or until the desired crust color. Place the meat on a cutting board, remove the cooking net and let it rest for 10 minutes.
12. Cut the meat and serve warm! Garnish with the spinach and mint stew.
*On the picture I have served also with green salad with spinach, dandelion and radishes and with stir fry rice with asparagus, mushrooms, caramelized onions and flax seed.