Show & Tell: Kitchen Adventures #3 - The Easter Dinner Spectacular

Oh my goodness! It's Saturday again, and I don't want to miss Show & Tell (especially during ICLW)! I know that Easter was a couple of weeks ago already, but I'm just now getting around to posting the recipes.

Easter for me equals lamb... and lamb equals Greek... and Greek equals yummy! I'm really pleased with how everything turned out, especially as we had guests over for dinner and the lamb was an experimental recipe. Oh, and the leftovers were fabulous too!

A few disclaimers before we get started: I am not Greek. I never claimed to be. The greek-ness of these recipes comes from the flavour combinations that I love from my favourite Greek restaurants. I don't measure when I cook, or at least not much, so all amounts are approximate. And last... if the picture isn't that great, I apologize... still getting used to the new camera (and the colour on our computer monitor is a little funky).

So... the menu for the evening was all about roasting... Mediterranean Roasted Leg of Lamb, Oven Roasted Greek Potatoes, and Roasted Asparagus. Dessert was Cherry Cheesecake courtesy of my friend/co-worker M.

Mediterranean Roasted Leg of Lamb

• 1 3-4 lb boneless leg of lamb
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cup olive oil
• minced/crushed garlic (I like things waaaaaay garlicky so I used 5 large cloves, use however much you can handle)
  
• 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• pinch saffron threads
• 1/3 cup boiling water

Trim some, but not all, fat from the lamb, and tie with butcher's twine (I generally get the butcher to do this for me). Remove rosemary leaves from stem and chop finely. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano and time in a bowl. Mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine saffron and boiling water, and allow to steep for a few minutes. Add to the rest of the marinade and allow to cool. Put the lamb into a large zipper-type bag and add the marinade. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours (I let it go overnight). Bring out of the fridge about a half hour before you plan to put it in the oven. Preheat oven to 325. Place lamb in a roasting pan with a rack, fat side up. Roast covered for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until internal temperature is 175 degrees fahrenheit, basting once or twice. (Option: save the garlic and herbs from the marinade and press onto top of lamb before roasting to form a crust. Remove cover from roast for last 15 minutes of cooking time.) Allow meat to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Drippings make a really nice gravy.

My beloved and I prefer our lamb on the rare side, so I pulled it out at 1 1/2 hour mark.

Greek-Style Oven Roasted Potatoes

• 2-3 pounds baby yellow potatoes
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• minced garlic (see above note about garlic)
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cup hot water
• 1 lemon, sliced (optional)

Wash and cut all potatoes in half length-wise. Arrange in a baking dish. Add oregano, garlic, oil and lemon juice. Stir carefully so that all the potatoes are evenly coated with oil/juice. Add hot water. Preheat oven to 400*. Roast for one hour, stirring at least once. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process if it evaporates quickly. Add lemon slices during last ten minutes.

* - I put them in with the lamb above for an hour and forty-five minutes.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bunches of asparagus
• salt & pepper to taste

Trim woody stems from asparagus. Arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes. I put it in the oven with the potatoes while the lamb was resting.

There were four of us for dinner on Easter, and I had a ton of leftovers. One tip... don't be surprised if the string tying your lamb turns yellow, that's just the saffron. :)

Ok, so now that you've got your fix of nifty new recipes, head on over to Mel's place and check out what the rest of the class is showing this week!