Roasted Leg of Lamb

I tried to have the Roasted Leg of Lamb recipe up earlier, but Blogger was having some issues. But, here it is!

It turned out beautifully...paired it with Augusta Norton. It's fairly simple, but we did have a little challenge cutting it perfectly- since it was a bone-in leg of lamb.

I bought the leg of lamb from my friend Nancy Rasmussen of Sunny Lane Farms in Lockwood. She sells at some area farmers' markets in SW Mo.

Lane’s Roasted Leg of Lamb
Marinade:
2 lemons, juiced
2 T. garlic powder
1T. onion powder
4 springs of fresh Rosemary
5 springs of Thyme
¼ c olive oil

Mix all together in bowl. Coat a 5-7 lb. leg of lamb with the mixture and place lamb in bag and place in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place roasting tray in a roasting pan and place lamb on tray.

Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 1 to 1 and half hrs. longer to medium rare. A digit thermometer will read 145 degrees. Remove lamb and let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes.

Sauce:
Place roasting pan on stove and turn heat to medium. Add to the pan:
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. dry red wine
1 tsp. Herb De Provence
3 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. sea salt

Deglaze the pan to release the pan drippings from the leg of lamb by cooking mixture and scraping with a wooden spoon. Cook the mixture down, while continuing to scrape drippings on the bottom of pan. Strain mixture and drizzle sliced lamb with sauce.

Lamb Chops with a Side of Banana Peppers

One of the best things about being pregnant is indulging in all sorts of foods. Last week while we were on vacation in South Carolina/Georgia some of the sampling of foods I had were Hilton Head’s World famous Crab Cakes with a Lemon Dill Sauce at Conroy’s, Stuffed Grouper at Red Fish or the delectable Citrus Glazed Salmon at Topsider in Harbor Town. The weather on the east coast was just about as hot as the blazing hot temps in Missouri- but we didn’t mind- for we had miles of white sandy beaches to cool off.

(PHOTO: On the beach at Hilton Head, South Carolina)

When we returned to Missouri on Friday night the temps hadn’t broke and we awoke Saturday morning to a garden full of fresh peppers (banana and jalapeno). My husband decided to find some new recipes for banana peppers by doing some research on the internet- because you can only eat grilled peppers so many times.

While he was searching he also found a really great lamb chop recipe as well. Add in a side of grilled zucchini and it was a terrific meal. Who doesn’t love a great man in the kitchen!

Feta Stuffed Banana Peppers
Adapted from www.chowhound.chow.com

5 large banana peppers, tops off and seeded
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Feta Cheese or Goat Cheese

In a zip lock bag add salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Place cleaned peppers in bag and seal. Coat the peppers with mixture and remove from bag. Grill peppers on medium-high heat (with cover shut) for about 5 minutes on each side. Take off the grill and stuff with feta cheese (we used garlic feta) and place peppers back on grill and grill for another 2 minutes until cheese is melted.

Lamb Chop Marinade
From Cooks.com

¼ c. vegetable oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
1 T. ginger
1 T. rosemary
1 T. lemon juice
¼ c. Djon mustard
8 lamb chops

Brush marinade liberally on all sides and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. The next day let the meat come to room temp. Cook on grill 3-4 minutes per side (this all depends on the thickness of the meat).