(Family Features) When fall comes around, it brings many iconic flavors, festive traditions and family meals, along with cravings for warm, hearty dishes. For your next gathering of loved ones, whether it’s a special occasion, sporting event or simply spending quality time together, serve a classic comfort food perfect for a small crowd.
While a roast leg of lamb may be considered time-intensive or best-suited for special occasions, it can be a surprisingly stress-free dish to prepare at home. A simple way to update familiar dishes, grass-fed lamb, available at your local Whole Foods Market, is easy to cook; prepare it the same way you would grass-fed beef.
This grass-fed leg of lamb recipe, for example, requires little fuss and the oven does the work for you. Infused with garlic and thyme, topped with a creamy meat sauce and garnished with a side of seasonal produce, you can delight your family and friends with this tender and delicious meal. Plus, New Zealand grass-fed lamb is a lean, finely textured and flavorful protein, well-suited for a variety of dishes.
For more information, cooking tips and recipes, visit beefandlambnz.com.
Grass-Fed Leg of Lamb
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Lamb:
4 1/2-5 1/2 pounds Atkins Ranch grass-fed leg of lamb, at room temperature
1 3/4 ounces butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon roughly chopped thyme leaves
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 handfuls thyme sprigs
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
Meat Sauce:
1 cup beef stock
3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
lemon zest, finely grated
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
sauteed mushrooms (optional)
sauteed green beans (optional)
steamed carrots and snap peas (optional)
Heat oven to 320° F.
To prepare lamb: Using sharp knife, make 4-5 shallow slits in lamb. In bowl, mix butter, garlic and chopped thyme. Coat butter mixture in slits and sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place thyme sprigs and sliced onion in base of roasting tin and place lamb on top. Drizzle olive oil over lamb. Roast 2 hours, 45 minutes.
To make meat sauce: Remove lamb from oven 30 minutes before end of cooking time. Place lamb on board then tip juices into saucepan. Place lamb back in roasting tin and return to oven.
Skim fat off roasting juices. Add beef stock to remaining juices and bring to boil.
Reduce heat and add creme fraiche or sour cream, lemon zest, vinegar and bay leaf. Simmer until sauce reduces some. Season with salt, to taste, to counteract acidity.
Remove lamb from oven and rest covered loosely with foil and tea towel 10 minutes before carving.
Strain sauce into bowl or gravy boat and serve hot with lamb and sauteed mushrooms, green beans or steamed carrots and snap peas, if desired.
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited.
Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions.
If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.