Chard Stuffed Roast Lamb Recipes

STUFFED RACK OF LAMB FOR TWO

Steps:

• To make the Marinade: Zest the lemon with a fine grater, taking care to only remove the yellow peel¿the white pith beneath it is bitter. Use the lemon juice for cocktails, or splash a bit into the marinade if you really love citrus. Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
• To make the Stuffing: Mix the stuffing ingredients together.
• To prepare the Lamb: Cut the rack in 1/2 crosswise so that each piece contains 4 chops. Insert a long, skinny knife into 1 end of the meat and push it through until the tip emerges from the other end. Then, remove the knife and use the handle of a wooden spoon to ream out a 1/2-inch hole, forming a tube through the 4 chops. With your fingers, press half the stuffing into the rack, making sure it's distributed evenly. Repeat with the other half of lamb.
• Place the lamb in a zipper baggie, spoon the marinade onto the meat, and rub it in a little bit. Marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roast the chops for 25 minutes for medium rare, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 135 degrees F. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes (during which they continue cooking, and the juices run back to the center). Slice into individual chops, if you like, fan across the plate, garnish with a rosemary sprig, and serve.

BONELESS LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH SWISS CHARD AND FETA

Steps:

• Wash the Swiss chard well, drain it, and in a heavy saucepan steam it in the water clinging to the leaves, covered, over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is wilted. Drain the chard in a colander, refresh it under cold water, and squeeze it dry in a kitchen towel. In a skillet cook the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is pale golden and transfer it with a slotted spoon to a bowl. To the skillet add the chard, cook it, stirring, for 1 minute, or until any excess liquid is evaporated, and transfer it to the bowl. Let the chard mixture cool and stir in the Feta.
• Pat the lamb dry, arrange it, boned side up, on a work surface, and season it with salt and pepper. Spread the lamb evenly with the chard mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, beginning with a short side roll it up jelly-roll fashion, and tie it tightly with kitchen string. (The rolled and tied roast may look ungainly, but it will improve in appearance when cooked.)
• Transfer the lamb to a roasting pan and rub it all over with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast the lamb in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 30 minutes, scatter the onion around it in the pan, and roast the lamb for 1 to 1 1/4 hours more (a total of 20 minutes cooking time for each pound of boneless meat), or until a meat thermometer registers 140°F. for medium-rare meat. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it stand for 20 minutes.
• While the lamb is standing, skim the fat from the pan drippings, and set the roasting pan over moderately high heat. Add the wine, deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits, and boil the mixture until it is reduced by half. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a saucepan, add the broth, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, the water, and any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board, and boil the mixture until it is reduced to about 2 cups. Stir the cornstarch mixture, add it to the wine mixture, whisking, and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and keep it warm.
• Discard the strings from the lamb, arrange the lamb on a heated platter, and surround it with the quinoa timbales and clusters of the carrots. Strain the sauce into a heated sauceboat and serve it with the lamb, sliced.

ROASTED STUFFED DOUBLE LAMB LOIN

Steps:

• Make the spinach stuffing by sauteing 1/4 cup onions and garlic in the oil and butter. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cool and combine with breadcrumbs and feta cheese.
• Make the sun-dried tomato mixture by soaking the tomatoes to soften, drain and chop finely. Saute remaining 1/4 cup onions over medium-high heat until translucent. Add chopped tomatoes, heat thoroughly. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay out loin, meat side up, trim away excess fat and sinew. Lay spinach/feta mixture between the 2 loins. Roll over the right flap and tightly pack it around the left loin. Roll the newly formed double loin over the left flap, cut off excess. Tie the roast tightly. Use a steel or wooden spoon to create a hole down the entire length of the lamb loin on each side of the stuffing. Using a pastry bag, pipe the tomato mixture into each hole. Season with salt and pepper. Brown over medium high heat. Roast for approximately 30 minutes. Check doneness with meat thermometer -- 120 degrees.

ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER STUFFED WITH MERGUEZ AND SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Marinate the Lamb: Spread the lamb open on work surface. Score the inside of the meat with a paring knife, making incisions every 3/4 inch and taking care not to cut all the way through the meat. Rub inside of lamb with 1 tablespoon oregano and 1 tablespoon pepper. Turn and rub outside with remaining tablespoon of oregano and tablespoon pepper; drizzle outside with olive oil. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Make the Merguez Stuffing: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add chard leaves and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer to ice-water bath. Cool, drain, and squeeze out excess water; coarsely chop. Chop enough of the chard stems so that you have 1 cup chopped; discard any remaining stems.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add garlic and chard stems; continue cooking until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a medium bowl; set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet and increase heat to high. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook, stirring, until sausage is brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard leaves, reserved onion mixture, rosemary, and thyme; stir to combine. Add panko, lemon zest, mint, and parsley; remove skillet from heat and season with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.
• Roast the Lamb: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season lamb with salt and bring to room temperature.
• Spread the cooled stuffing over the scored side of the lamb. Loosely roll, like a jelly roll; using 5 pieces of kitchen twine, tie lamb at even intervals to secure stuffing.
• Heat canola oil in a roasting pan over high heat. Add lamb to pan and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Turn lamb so it is seam-side down in roasting pan. Add lemons, shallots, garlic, thyme, and rosemary to pan and transfer to oven. Roast lamb for 20 minutes, turn, and continue roasting 10 minutes more for medium. Transfer lamb to a cutting board, reserving juices in pan, and loosely cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil; let stand for 10 minutes.
• Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup water and lemon juice and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.
• Remove twine from lamb and, using a sharp carving knife, cut lamb into 12 slices. Arrange on a platter and garnish with lemon, shallots, garlic, thyme, and rosemary from roasting pan. Spoon pan juice over lamb and serve immediately.

CROWN ROAST OF LAMB WITH PILAF STUFFING

Steps:

• Roast:In a small skillet over medium-high, toast coriander seeds until dark brown and fragrant, 3 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder, or crush with a mortar and pestle.
• Place racks of lamb, fat-side down, on a work surface. Cut one-third of the way through flesh between each rib bone. (This will allow racks to fan open into a crown shape.) Stand racks upright, with fat sides touching. Thread a trussing nee- dle with kitchen twine, and run it horizontally through meat just below last rib bone on one rack, and straight through meat of opposite chop. Form a half-circle by pulling ends of twine together as tightly as possible; tie. Repeat process on opposite ends of racks to finish crown. Where racks are joined, tie rib bones together. Crown can be made up to a day in advance and stored, uncovered, in the refrigerator. (Or just ask your butcher to pre- pare the crown.)
• Stir together ground coriander, lemon zest, garlic, thyme leaves, oil, 4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until a paste forms. Spread mixture evenly over roast. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in bottom third. Place lemon wedges, thyme sprigs, and broth in a roasting pan. Place a flat rack over lemons, then center lamb on rack. Roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast (near but not touching bones) reads 140 degrees for medium-rare, 35 to 40 minutes. (Prepare pilaf while roast is in oven.) Transfer lamb to a platter; let stand 15 minutes. Remove rack, lemon wedges, and thyme from pan, reserving pan for gravy.
• Pilaf:Heat a large saucepan over medium-high. Swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Add bulgur, rice, and onion; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture hasa nutty aroma and rice turns golden in places, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in broth and 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid has evaporated and bulgur is tender but still slightly chewy, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork, then stir in parsley, pine nuts, currants, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Spoon pilaf into center of finished crown roast on platter, if desired.
• Gravy:While lamb is resting, place roasting pan across two burners on medium-high. Add 1 1/2 cups broth; bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1/4 cup broth with flour, then whisk into pan. Continue to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until gravy thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted and combined. Strain gravy through a sieve and serve, with lamb and pilaf.