Roasted Lamb with Fresh Herbs

Sunday dinner is my favorite meal of the week. I tend to have more time, patience and over all energy to prepare things that require a little more love. Lamb is perfect dish when time is not a factor and nothing makes more happy than lamb whether stewed, roasted, grilled even poached, I have not met a cut or preparation I could resist. Now certain cuts of lamb such as chops can be prepared quickly others such as this shoulder piece need some TLC. While most in North America consider lamb a restaurant only dish most of the rest of the world treat lamb as a rustic dish suitable for both everyday meals and celebrations. Admittedly I am spoiled living in an area comprised of many nationalities that appreciate lamb thus I have access to affordable cuts not usually found the grocery stores. None the less lamb shanks or leg of lamb would be brilliant in this dish. Considering this roast was on the fatty side I knew it would stay moist and a simple herb rub would ensure the flavor of the lamb would come out. One thing I have not seemed to embrace is medium rare lamb. If that's your thing decrease the cooking time by about a half hour.

But let me make one thing clear the real reason to roast lamb is to make lemon potatoes. :)

Roasted Lamb Shoulder
4 servings

4-5 lb. Lamb shoulder

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided

2 tablespoons fresh black pepper

1 large clove of garlic

1/4 cup lemon zest (zest of 2 lemons)

juice of 1 lemon

2 cups water

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse lamb in cold water, pat dry and place in roasting pan or dutch oven, season with half the salt and all the pepper. In a food processor combine the rosemary, thyme, half the kosher salt and lemon zest. Pulse until finely minced. Slowly pour in the lemon juice. Mixture should be somewhat thick. Rub the herb mixture on the lamb. Place in the oven (uncovered ) for 30 minutes. Cover and continue to cook for 1.5-2 hours. Remove lamb from pan and continue on for lemon potatoes. Let the roast rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve with lemon potatoes.

Lemon Potatoes

4 servings

2.5 lbs. russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and rinsed

2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil (optional, if lamb has no fat add oil)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1-2 cups of water (optional, if there is plenty of cooking liquid no need for water)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine potatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix the olive oil if using and lemon. Pour the lemon mixture over the potatoes. Place in the cooking liquid and roast for 45 minutes until liquid is absorbed and potatoes are golden.

Muffin Tin Potato Moussaka

There seems to be a correlation between growing as a home cook and acquiring cooking/baking products. For a recent barefoot bloggers recipe, I ran out to buy a muffin tin. Yes, that's right folks prior to trying this recipe I never needed a muffin pan. I sadly have no intent of making muffins in the near future and I scoured my brain to find ways to use this item in savory recipes like Moussaka Muffins.

Moussaka is one of those things that take time and patience but the rewards are immense. It's often reserved for gatherings where the large quantities equal a large guest list. Omitting the eggplant and concentrating on the thigh bulking items such as potato, ground beef and bechamel- this often laborious recipe becomes manageable and it's certainly easier to serve in 12 equal proportions.

This dish is comprised of three (Potato, Kima,seasoned ground beef or lamb, and Bechamel) separate but equal elements that with the exception of the bechamel can be prepared in advance. The beauty of using the muffin tin as the cooking vessel is each individual piece can be customized. Add zucchini to one, eggplant to another, omit the meat sauce in the next. The combinations are limitless.

You will note that egg is a traditional component in the bechamel based topping for moussaka and pastitiso. Although once again my mother thinks I am crazy, I find omitting the egg(s) makes a less custardy topping which I like. By all means include the egg if that's your preference.

Potato Moussaka

Serves 4

12 count muffin tin

2 large russet potatoes

1 recipe Seasoned ground beef (kima)

1 1/2-2 cups bechamel sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk, scalded

1/2 cup kefalotyri or parmesan cheese

pinch of nutmeg

1 teaspoon white or black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Potatoes

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel potatoes and cut 24 slices 1/4 inch thick. Place potato slice on a baking sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly brown about 15 minutes, flipping half way through. Place to the side.

Kima (Meat Sauce)

Grate one small onion and one clove of garlic. Heat 2 tbl. olive oil in large pan, add onion and cook for 1-3 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Brown the ground sirloin for a few minutes, add spices and wine, cook for an additional minute until alcohol evaporates. Add tomato paste and mix in, add tomato puree and water. Mix thoroughly and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30-45 minutes on low. Check seasoning.

Bechamel Sauce

In a sauce pan melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, until mixture bubbles. Slowly whisk in the scolded milk, mixture should thicken rather quickly. Turn the heat off, add the cheese, nutmeg, pepper and salt (if needed).

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 potato slice in each muffin slot. Top with a tablespoon of the meat sauce. Top once again with a potato slice. Pour in enough bechamel to cover the potato/meat sauce. Bake for half hour and serve warm.

Hilopites (Egg Noodles) with Leftover Lamb

The saga of leftover lamb continues. Admittedly, I am not a leftover type of girl. I don't plan meals around leftovers, but when faced with large quantities of really good lamb, I can't bring myself to throw it out.

Hilopites are artisan egg based pasta noodles, usually cut into square, that are so simple but so good. A few months back I had a strange craving for hilopites and posted so on facebook. My friend Ritsa, or more specifically her mom, came to the rescue as she recently brought a homemade stash of longer noodles back from Greece. I made those in a simple manner and topped with myzethra. Now friends unfamiliar with hilopites indicated, go ahead and make some at home. While they have a point, part of the food experience is nostalgia and hilopites made in my kitchen in Michigan could never and likely will never compare to those made in a small village from fresh eggs from chickens that are part of the family. These noodles bring me back to my childhood and no commercially made product could do so.

Topped with braised lamb from the pressure cooker, I hit two birds with one stone- fulfilled my need for hilopites and used up some lamb.

Hilopites with Braised Lamb

Serves 2

1 cup roasted lamb slices

1 cooked lamb bone

1 small onion minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

3 cups of water

1 teaspoon better than bouillon (optional)

2 bay leafs
pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper

grated kafalotyri or romano cheese

In a large pressure cooker with the lid off, heat olive oil and add minced onion. Cook for a few minutes. Add tomato paste, cinnamon, bay leaf and nutmeg. Cook for an additional minute. Deglaze with wine. Pour water and dissolve the better then bouillon. Add lamb bone and lamb pieces. Cover with lid, bring to pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Release pressure and carefully strain and place lamb pieces and bone to the side. Bring strained liquid to a boil, check the seasoning, if needed, add some salt and pepper and add hilopites. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until noodles have absorbed most of the liquid. Plate and top with lamb pieces and top with salty cheese such as kafelotyri or romano.

Open-Faced Roasted Lamb Wrap and Potato Feta Gratin

Regardless of what the Barefoot Contessa thinks-- it is not possible to be a guest when hosting a holiday celebration at your home. This weekend I hosted an Easter party at my home. Greek Orthodox Easter is the culimination of a fasting period where the focus is not only the Resurrection of Jesus Christ but on roasting a lamb on a spit. When people have not consumed meat and other animal products for an extended period of time, breaking the fast is a big deal and places even more pressure on the host as no one wants to go down with the epitaph associated with serving bad lamb at Easter. I thoroughly enjoyed having my family and friends join in the celebration of Jesus Christ, and I am so happy that the lamb once again turned out as the star of the show.

While running around making sure that friends and family enjoyed this wonderful meal, I forgot to take a moment and enjoy the food. But I would be damned if I would not get a good meal out of a 38 lb. roasted baby lamb. All day I had lamb on my mind. More specifically, I was thinking about how to use the leftovers and frankly I was not in a state to do any heavy thinking. So this sandwich was simple and so good! On the right is my husband's creation and on the left is mine. It is simply dressed with tomatoes, onions and tzaziki. I cannot wait to see what comes to mind after some much need sleep.

Nothing goes better with roasted lamb than potatoes. There is nothing particularily inventive about pairing potatoes with feta, expect of course the pretentious name "Potato Feta Gratin". By fanning potatoes on a hot pan and placing in the oven to brown the top, you end up with a tasty and presentable incarination of a classic flavor combination.

Opened-Faced Roasted Lamb Sandwich
Heat enough olive oil to coat a pan and place sliced roasted lamb pieces to heat through. Meanwhile, warm pita bread. I had a naan style on hand, slice fresh tomato, onions or other items such as cucumbers or lettuce. Place lamb slices on pita load up on toppings including lots of tzatziki. Serve and enojy.

Potato Feta Gratin
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice 2-3 medium sized yukon gold potatoes. Heat 3 tablesoons of olive oil in a large pan, fan potatoes slices and cook for 5-10 minutes. Top with crumbled feta and a bit of black pepper. Place in the oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is browned.

Christos Anesti (Christ Is Risen)!

Once again my husband and I hosted Easter this year and through all the preparation we managed to have some fun. Although our house is somewhat cozy i.e. too small for a bunch of food and loud Greek people- we still managed to roast a 38 lb. baby lamb. I will post pictures and recipes from our Easter celebration in the mean time, enjoy this rather candid shots as I channeled by inner Rocky Balboa!