Tag Archives: boneless

Rolled Boneless Leg of Lamb with Green Herb Stuffing

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Here is the quintessential roast lamb recipe for a sit-down Sunday dinner party, or family supper. From Molly Stevens “All About Roasting” cookbook—a cherished favorite of ours—this compact bundle of tender, flavorful meat serves 6 on the smaller leg of lamb, or up 10 with a 4 1⁄2 pounder like ours, and all without breaking the bank. (BTW, Costco has real good prices on different cuts of lamb.)

This recipe goes beyond the pure and simple method of just seasoning with salt and pepper. The flavor is bumped up by smearing the butterflied piece of meat with an herb paste, tying it back into a bundle, and roasting for about 1 hour. Our leg of lamb weighed in at 4.8 pounds, so quite a bit larger than the recipe called for. But by cooking it in a convection oven, the roasting time didn’t take much longer.

It also made for more servings; which was a good thing because son David and his buddy Mike came over to help lug stuff out of our basement, and they stayed for dinner. The meat was paired with twice-baked potatoes and asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon. Let’s just say, they don’t have “shy” appetites, and they got a doggy bag to take home with them.

Rolled Boneless Leg of Lamb with Green Herb Stuffing

  • Servings: 6 to 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • One 2 1⁄2- to 3-pound butterflied leg of lamb
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1⁄2 cup chicken or beef broth, preferably homemade
  • 1⁄4 cup dry white wine, or dry white vermouth

Directions

  1. Lay the lamb out flat on a cutting board. Arrange it so the cut side is down and the outside faces up. If there is more than a 1⁄8-inch scant layer of fat, pare it down with a sharp, thin-bladed knife till it just barely covers the meat. Flip the meat and trim away any large clumps of fat from the cut side.
  2. Follow the directions below to make the herb stuffing. Make sure the lamb is skin side down and spread with herb paste.
  3. Roll the lamb into a cylinder so that the grain of the meat runs the length of the roast. Using kichen string, secure the roll by tying loops of string at 1 1⁄2-inch intervalls along its length.
  4. Finish by weaving a long loop of twine through the crosswise loops.
  5. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 350°F (235° convection).
  6. Place the lamb on a shallow roasting pan or a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet just a bit larger than the meat. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the lamb reaches 120-125° for rare; 130° for medium.
  7. Transfer the leg to a cutting board, preferably one with a trough, and let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes.
  8. If the pan drippings look appealing, and you want to make a pan sauce, start by tilting the and pouring or spooning off the clear fat, stop before you discard any of the drippings, even if this means leaving some fat.
  9. Add the broth or water and the white wine or vermouth. Heat over medium heat, scrapping up the drippings with a wooden spoon. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. If it seems a bit watery, simmer a bit longer.
  10. Carve the meat into thick or thin slices as you like, removing the kitchen string as you go. Add any carving juices to the sauce and serve.

Green Herb Stuffing

This piquant, verdant stuffing enhances the rich flavor of the lamb and provides a visual contrast to the rosy meat.

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1⁄4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
  • 2 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. Start the food processor, and with the motor running, drop in the garlic cloves. When finely minced, stop the motor, remove the top, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the parsley, mint, oregano, anchovies, cracked black pepper, 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes.
  2. Arrange the butterflied leg of lamb skin side down, and spread the herb stuffing all the way to the edges, rubbing it in with your hands to get into any crevices or gaps. Roll and tie the roast with kitchen twine. Gather any herb paste that falls out during rolling and tying and rub it over the surface of the lamb.
  3. Follow the above instructions from Step 5 for roasting the stuffed leg.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipes from “All About Roasting” by Molly Stevens

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes, Mustard and Brandy

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This dish may sound French, but the starting point for Milk Street was the Portuguese classic called frango na púcara, or chicken in a clay pot. For quick and easy weeknight cooking, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are used instead of bone-in parts. All gets cooked in one Dutch oven on the stovetop—always a plus when it comes to clean up.

Because our chicken thighs were of two different thicknesses, I had to remove the two smaller pieces to a platter, cover with foil, and let the thicker thighs cook a few minutes longer. And yes, you may have noticed from the ingredients photo below, I did increase the amount of garlic cloves.

Cherry tomatoes can be used in place of grape tomatoes, but they tend to be larger, so cut them in half before adding them to the pot. We used the variety pack of tomatoes that contained four different colors, adding to the overall color palette. Serve with warm, crusty bread, roasted potatoes, rice, or as in our case, farro.

Speaking of farro, the kind that’s most commonly found in the US and Europe is emmer wheat. It’s sold dry and prepared by cooking it in water until it’s soft and chewy. Before it’s cooked it looks similar to wheat berries, but afterward it looks similar to barley. It’s a small, light-brown grain with a noticeable outer layer of bran. Farro is loved for its nutty flavor and unique, chewy texture. It’s a great alternative to other popular grains, such as rice, quinoa, buckwheat and barley, among others.

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes, Mustard and Brandy

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and patted dry
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
  • ⅓ cup brandy
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes
  • ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

Directions

  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic, then cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Add the mustard and brandy, then cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, about 30 seconds.
  3. Stir in the tomatoes and broth, then nestle the chicken in the liquid. Bring to a simmer, reduce to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Using tongs, flip the chicken and simmer, uncovered, until a skewer inserted into the chicken meets no resistance, another 5 to 8 minutes.
  5. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and tent with foil. Bring the braising liquid to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring often, until thickened and the tomatoes have softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
  6. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the chicken and sprinkle with the parsley.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe for Milk Street

Three Cup Chicken with Thai Stir-Fried Spinach

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Both recipes from Milk Street, this stir-fry combo was startlingly good. Yes, between the two of them, you use over a head of garlic but it didn’t overwhelm in any way. There is quite a bit of prep involved so don’t begin cooking until all of the ingredients are ready; the dishes come together quickly.

Milk Street says Taiwanese three-cup chicken is named for the formula once used to prepare the dish: one cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. Not surprisingly, recipes no longer adhere to that ratio, but the name has stuck, so we’re sticking with it too.

If you plan to serve over rice, make sure to start cooking the rice before you begin stir-frying anything. The spinach takes only minutes, but is done in three batches. If you have two cooks in the kitchen, one can finish stir-frying the main chicken entrée while the other works on the spinach.

The original recipe calls for a serrano chili, but with none available at our grocery store, we opted to use a jalapeño, which is not as hot on the Scoville scale as the serrano. Three cups of basil may seem like overkill but it wilts down considerably and imparts a sweet pungent flavor with a clove-like back end.

Three-Cup Chicken

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • ¾ cup sake
  • 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch-wide strips
  • 12 medium garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
  • 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths 
  • 1 serrano (or jalapeño) chili, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds
  • ¼ cup minced fresh ginger
  • 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 3 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn if large
  • 1 cup jasmine rice, cooked to package directions

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and soy sauce, then stir in the sake and sugar. Set aside.
  2. Heat a wok over medium-high for 3 minutes, or until a drop of water evaporates within 1 to 2 seconds. Add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the chicken in an even layer and cook without stirring until browned, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is well-browned and softened, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add the scallions, serrano, ginger and sesame oil, then cook, stirring constantly, until the scallions begin to wilt, about 1 minute.
  5. Stir the sake-cornstarch mixture to recombine, then add to the wok. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.
  6. Off heat, add the basil and stir until it begins to wilt, about 30 seconds.
  7. Serve over hot jasmine rice.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Thai Stir-Fried Spinach

This simple, bold stir-fry uses regular bunch spinach rather than the water spinach common in Thai cooking. The wilted leaves and crisp-tender stems combine for a pleasing contrast of textures, and is not cooked to death like many recipes. In fact, we’ll go as far to say, it was probably the best cooked spinach we’ve ever had! Be sure to dry the spinach well after washing thoroughly (a salad spinner works great); excess water will cause splattering and popping when the spinach is added to the hot oil.

Don’t use baby spinach, which can’t handle high-heat cooking and doesn’t have stems to offer textural contrast. And don’t allow the spinach leaves to fully wilt in the pan; some leaves should still look fairly fresh, but will continue to cook after being transferred to the bowl.

Thai Stir-Fried Spinach

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp. white sugar
  • ¾ tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 4 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
  • 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped garlic
  • 1½ pounds bunch spinach, trimmed of bottom 1½ inches, washed and dried well

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper flakes until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until just beginning to smoke. Remove the pan from the heat, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to color, 20 to 30 seconds.
  3. Return the skillet to high and immediately add about ⅓ of the spinach. Using tongs, turn the spinach to coat with the oil and garlic. When the spinach is nearly wilted and the garlic has turned golden brown, 30 seconds or less, transfer to a large bowl. The leaves will continue to wilt but the stems should remain crisp-tender.
  4. Return the skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, swirl to coat the pan and heat until just beginning to smoke. Add half of the remaining spinach and cook, as before, for 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to the bowl and repeat with the remaining oil and spinach.
  5. Pour the fish sauce mixture over the spinach and toss. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with any accumulated liquid.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Both recipes hail from Milk Street