by DC Sitnik

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Spring lamb is a classic Easter dish, and a lovely way to celebrate the bright, fresh flavors of the season. The first two recipes showcase the dramatic, classic cuts of lamb, leg of lamb and rack of lamb; the last recipe is a spicy twist on kebabs that has become a year-round family favorite in my house. Enjoy!
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Donna's Leg of Lamb
This is a recipe derived from one of the classic french preparations of lamb, which results in a meltingly tender, juicy, aromatic lamb that just falls off the bone. We also use this recipe for preparing haunches of venison. The only difficult thing about making this dish is having to wait so long to eat it!

1 leg of lamb, bone-in, 6-7 lbs
3 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 lb carrots, peeled
1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled
3 large tomatoes, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh sage (approx 5 leaves)
1 bottle full-bodied red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon or shiraz
salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Layer the onions, carrots, garlic, herbs and tomatoes on the bottom of a large roasting pan, then place leg of lamb on top of those. Generously season lamb with salt and pepper. Roast in oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then turn lamb over and repeat. This seals and browns the lamb. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, slowly pour the wine over the lamb and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Then cover the lamb, return the roasting pan to a 325 degree oven, and continue roasting the lamb and vegetables for several hours, until the meat is very tender and still juicy. Timing can vary according to the thickness of the roasting pan used, and the age and fat content of the lamb, but will take several hours. Because of this, check on the meat from time to time, moistening or turning as needed. Prior to serving, remove the lamb and vegetables from the juices in the pan, and season (or even reduce) these to taste. Depending on my mood and waistline, I will add a small amount of milk, cream or butter to mellow the acidity of the pan juices. Serve lamb and vegetables on a large platter, moistened generously with pan juices, accompanied by boiled potatoes. Serves 8.
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Rack of Lamb
Rack of lamb is a dramatic, festive cut that really showcases lamb. Really the perfect dish if you love succulent, medium rare or rare meat.
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1 rack of lamb, trimmed, approximately 7 ribs with bone exposed
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
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