Sunday is the perfect day to slow cook a roast. Beef, pork, lamb - they all smell scrumptious when roasted with garlic, onions, rosemary, and perhaps a bit of red wine. We love this easy Roast Leg of Lamb recipe from EatingWell's newest cookbook, EatingWell One-Pot Meals. The book is filled with over 100 easy dinners that are both nutritious and delicious. It also offers handy guides on vegetable roasting and steaming, grain cooking (plus 10 ways to jazz up the flavor of each), how to create a healthy pantry, as well as 9 ways to be a better cook. Enjoy recipes such as:
Lemon-Rosemary Turkey Meatballs (get the recipe here)
Chilean-style Skillet Roasted Strip Steaks with Pebre Sauce & Avocado (get the recipe here)
Southwestern Chile-Cheese Casserole
Molasses-Glazed Pork with Sweet Potatoes
In today's recipe, the leg of lamb is first untied and laid flat, then rubbed on both sides with a aromatic marinade of fresh tarragon, parsley, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper. The leg is then rolled back up, tied, and roasted along with cauliflower and shallots. When the lamb is done, piquant capers are stirred in with the cauliflower and shallots, adding wonderful flavor to the side dish. It's the perfect (and easy!) Sunday dinner!
Roast Leg of Lamb, Cauliflower and Shallots
Courtesy of EatingWell
"Here we slather lamb with a tarragon-and-parsley rub and roast it with shallots and cool-weather-loving cauliflower. Experiment with colored varieties of cauliflower to wow guests
or try it with romanesco—the striking spiral-covered relative of broccoli and cauliflower." ~EatingWell
Active Time: 1 hour
Total: 2 ½ hours
To Make Ahead: prepare through Step 3, loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Makes: 14 Servings, about 3 ounces lamb & ½ cup vegetables each
1 cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 4- to 4½-pound boneless leg of lamb, trimmed
1 pound shallots
2 medium heads cauliflower or romanesco
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place tarragon and parsley in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons oil, mustard, garlic, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and process until fairly smooth. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the mixture to a medium bowl; set aside for Step 6.
3. If your lamb is in the oven-safe netted bag used by most supermarkets, remove the bag. Open the lamb so it’s flat. Spread three-fourths of the remaining herb mixture over the surface of the lamb. Roll the lamb closed and tie in several spots with kitchen string so it is about the shape of a large football; transfer to a large roasting pan and spread the remaining herb mixture over the top and sides.
4. (If you prepared the recipe to this point the day before, let the lamb stand at room temperature while you prepare the vegetables.) Leaving the root end intact, peel and halve shallots (quarter larger ones). Trim and cut cauliflower (or romanesco) into 2-inch florets. Combine the shallots and cauliflower in a large bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
5. Roast the lamb in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the pan around the lamb. Continue to roast, stirring the vegetables every 20 minutes or so, until they are golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 140°F (for medium-rare) to 145° (for medium), 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes more. Transfer the lamb to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Stir capers into the vegetables.
6. Add lemon juice and sour cream to the bowl with the reserved herb mixture; stir to combine. Slice the lamb and serve with the vegetables and sauce.
SERVE WITH:
Boiled red potatoes smashed with buttermilk, parsley, salt and pepper.
