From Food & Drink, Summer 2011
Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinate: at least 2 hours on the counter or overnight in the fridge
Grill time: 20 minutes for medium rare
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 boneless leg of lamb (3lb/1.5kg), butterflied so that there is an even thickness across
Marinade/Rub:
2 -3 huge cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
4-5 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Bagna Caude Vinaigrette: (also awesome on chunky salads & pasta)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp anchovy fillets, chopped
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Directions:
1. Pulse all the marinade/rub ingredients in a mini food processor or chopper.
2. Cut slits in the fat of the lamb with a sharp knife and stuff with half of the rub. Turn the lamb over and make a few pockets. Stuff with the rest of the rub. Rub both sides of the lamb, place in a large zip lock bag or covered on a large plate and allow to marinate.
3. Allow the lamb to come to room temperature before grilling - about one hour.
4. Preheat the grill to high and cook for 3 minutes per side to sear the lamb.
5. If you have a grill with two heat controls, turn one off (or move charcoal to one side) and place the lamb, fat side up away from the heat. If, like me, there is only one control (I have a wonderful Weber Q) lower the temperature to medium, cover and cook for about 15 -20 minutes or so, longer if you like it well done. Turn the lamb every 5 minutes to keep it from charring. The internal temperature for medium rare is 145°F/63°C, or you can cut into it and check the amount of “pinkness” you like. It should be rarer than you like to eat it as it will be “resting” for a while and so continue to cook a bit.
6. Remove from the grill and place on a cutting board, cover with foil for 15 minutes. This finishes the cooking and relaxes the meat. I used to think this was a waste of time, but trust me, it really does make any meat more tender and juicy.
7. Discard the foil, and slice the lamb across the grain.
8. While the meat is resting (or marinating), whip up the vinaigrette in a little bowl or mini food processor if you like your dressing creamy. If you don’t have a blender or chopper, mince the garlic & finely chop the mint and anchovies before whisking the vinaigrette in a bowl.
Serving options:
I loved it with my Best Garlicky Rice Ever and a stir fry of Swiss Chard & Mushrooms.
Just served with a simple salad
Leftovers: amazing pocket sandwiches with a thin brushing of the vinaigrette
Bagna Caude is wonderful tossed with pasta – hot or cold! And makes a fantastic salad dressing for chunky vegetables and romaine hearts. It’s packs quite the punch so I wouldn’t use it for delicate spring greens.
Marinate: at least 2 hours on the counter or overnight in the fridge
Grill time: 20 minutes for medium rare
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 boneless leg of lamb (3lb/1.5kg), butterflied so that there is an even thickness across
Marinade/Rub:
2 -3 huge cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
4-5 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Bagna Caude Vinaigrette: (also awesome on chunky salads & pasta)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp anchovy fillets, chopped
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Directions:
1. Pulse all the marinade/rub ingredients in a mini food processor or chopper.
2. Cut slits in the fat of the lamb with a sharp knife and stuff with half of the rub. Turn the lamb over and make a few pockets. Stuff with the rest of the rub. Rub both sides of the lamb, place in a large zip lock bag or covered on a large plate and allow to marinate.
3. Allow the lamb to come to room temperature before grilling - about one hour.
4. Preheat the grill to high and cook for 3 minutes per side to sear the lamb.
5. If you have a grill with two heat controls, turn one off (or move charcoal to one side) and place the lamb, fat side up away from the heat. If, like me, there is only one control (I have a wonderful Weber Q) lower the temperature to medium, cover and cook for about 15 -20 minutes or so, longer if you like it well done. Turn the lamb every 5 minutes to keep it from charring. The internal temperature for medium rare is 145°F/63°C, or you can cut into it and check the amount of “pinkness” you like. It should be rarer than you like to eat it as it will be “resting” for a while and so continue to cook a bit.
6. Remove from the grill and place on a cutting board, cover with foil for 15 minutes. This finishes the cooking and relaxes the meat. I used to think this was a waste of time, but trust me, it really does make any meat more tender and juicy.
7. Discard the foil, and slice the lamb across the grain.
8. While the meat is resting (or marinating), whip up the vinaigrette in a little bowl or mini food processor if you like your dressing creamy. If you don’t have a blender or chopper, mince the garlic & finely chop the mint and anchovies before whisking the vinaigrette in a bowl.
Serving options:
I loved it with my Best Garlicky Rice Ever and a stir fry of Swiss Chard & Mushrooms.
Just served with a simple salad
Leftovers: amazing pocket sandwiches with a thin brushing of the vinaigrette
Bagna Caude is wonderful tossed with pasta – hot or cold! And makes a fantastic salad dressing for chunky vegetables and romaine hearts. It’s packs quite the punch so I wouldn’t use it for delicate spring greens.
4 comments:
What are your thoughts on searing then roasting on a skillet or roasting pan? I'm a bit nervous about grilling it for that long. And by cover do you mean cover with alcohol during cooking or just close the lid?
Alex, thanks for the questions. First, about the searing. It takes the same amount of time on the grill as on the stove and one less pan to wash. The rest of the time on the grill is either with indirect heat (turning one burner off and placing the lamb away from the direct heat) and lowering the temperature a bit. It's a commonly used method to slow cook barbecues in the South.
Second, the only alcohol would be a drink in your hand. The cover is that of the grill. If yours is an open charcoal grill, just push the coals to one side and place the meat on the other. If you don't have a cover, use heavy duty foil over the whole grill. Hope this helps.
Thanks a lot Ruth. That was an unfortunate autocorrect/typo - I meant to write aluminium!
I have had this marinating in the fridge since last night and look forward to cooking it when I get home. I also have a weber q which I absolutely love.
Thanks for your response.
Alex
You have to love autocorrect - makes for such unusual sentences. And thanks for reminding me about this recipe. I think I'll make it tonight too.
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