IRELAND

When I was traveling with my former husband throughout Ireland, we were astonished at the overwhelming sheep population and culture. Many shepherds spray-painted their herd with surprising pink or blue spots to decipher whose sheep belonged to whom. Passenger cars must wait – no matter how long – on the excruciatingly narrow streets that may have a herd taking its time crossing. Now, my crew gladly features an Irish Spring recipe in this Issue.

ingredients

5-7 lb. leg of lamb, fresh or defrosted overnight

1 cup olive oil (1 3 for the lamb, 1 3 for the potatoes, and 1 ⁄ 3 for the onion dish)

½ s tick butter (or 4 Tbsp. melted coconut oil)

Fresh sage, thyme and rosemary –finely chopped - or, dried herbs of your choice. RESERVE some whole herbs if possible.

1 can of creamed soup, like cream of celery or asparagus (NOTE: you can replace the canned soup by preparing a very thick cream by whisking together 2 Tbsp. of stock/broth with 8 oz. of plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise with a bit of mustard, until it sits up on a spoon, but still remains spreadable.)

Want to see Ireland? INFO HERE .

Cooking Tip: Now, the size of your lamb, thickness of pan, oven type, altitude, are all variables that require the use of a meat thermometer if possible, to determine how much longer – if at all – is needed to roast. Do NOT overcook. There will be carryover cooking for a time once it’s out of the oven. For medium doneness, the inside temp (not touching the bone) should be 135° F. Most chefs agree that lamb should be served medium. NOTE: I have 100% success rate by roasting on higher temps – it helps sear the lamb and keep the inside incredibly tender and juicy. If you do not have a thermometer, it should feel soft and yielding to the touch and show pink not red in the center.

3 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth, including any cooking sherry/wine if desired

1 rounded Tbsp. tomato paste or ketchup (if you use ketchup, pare back on the salt)

3 medium-large potatoes, scrubbed not peeled

2 whole peeled carrots

2 whole celery stalks

4 shallots

2 lg or 4 small onions, cut in half or quarters

1 small shallot, diced, for the shallot mix.

4 large cloves fresh garlic

Kosher or other course grain salt

2 Tbsp. steak seasoning if available

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Be prepared to cook the potatoes and the shallot mix halfway through the lamb’s cooking time!

1. Take lamb out of fridge 2 hours before cooking.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

3. Wash and pat dry the lamb.

4. Into a very large roasting pan with high sides, drizzle a bit of oil to prevent sticking.

5. Place the lamb in the pan, carefully and completely coating the tops and sides with olive oil and then the soup. Do not add any other liquid to the soup or on top of the lamb

6. Sprinkle it heavily and evenly with the stea k seasoning and/or salt, pepper, and finelychopped herbs.

7. Lay a few branches/leaves of the herbs around the edges of the lamb, if available.

8. Being careful not to disturb the sealed, seasoned lamb, surround it with the onions, carrots and celery, each cut into quarters.

9. Drop small dollops of the tomato paste/ketchup in 4 corners of the pan.

10. Sprinkle the veggies with a little seasoning to taste.

11. Slowly pour the broth/wine mixture over ONLY the veggies & tomato paste – leave the sealed, herded lamb as is.

12. Place it in the middle of the oven’s center rack. Close door and LEAVE IT CLOSED unti l instructed.

13. After 30 minutes, LEAVING THE DOOR CLOSED, turn the heat down to 375 degrees F.

14. Roast for 20 more minutes more then quickly bast the lamb and returning it to the oven.

15. Roast for 20 more minutes before basting again. Do not let too much heat out of the oven.

16. Check for doneness. (see cooking tip)

6 servings

17. In a med-large heavy pot, cover whole potatoes in warm salted water at least 2 inches over the potatoes’ surface.

18. Bring to and maintain a low rolling boil at mediu m to med-high heat.

19. Cover the potato pot with a saute’ pan. The heat from the boiling potatoes will cook the shallot mix

Shallot Mix

20. Into the saute’ pan, heat a generous ¼ cup oil and/ or butter.

21. Add the chopped shallots, diced onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and a CAUTIOUS amount of Italianstyle seasonings (oregano, basil, parsley… do not overcome the dominant flavors of the meal) . Roll the herbed, buttered shallot mix around in the pan often, giving the potato steam an outlet, while gently softening the mix. (see cooking technique video) When the shallot mix is tender and the potatoes are cooked through but holding together, remove al l from heat.

Serving

22. Remove lamb, stir the veggies/broth. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool before slicing and serving

23. Drain the potatoes and cool slightly.

24. Carefully slice the potatoes into thick, even slices

25. Finally, slice the lamb into medium-thick long slices against the diagonal, and plate them onto a platter with the potatoes and shallot mix. If the carrots held up well, they make for a colorful addition to the platter.

26. Remove the cooked veggies from the juice.

27. I opt to NOT thicken this into a voluptuous jus. But if you desire, blend the cooked veggies with some of the juice (using SMALL batches in the blender for safety), then stir some of this puree’ into the juice as a natural thickener.

Pat Friedman — Sometimes cooking (or in this case, baking) is a leap of faith. An act of courage. It can be daunting trying new recipes or techniques. So I approach these culinary challenges with a light heart and a surge of love. It makes all the difference. And since this Spring Issue’s theme is FLIRTY, why not serve it with a wink and a smile?