New Year's Dinner: Butterflied leg of lamb with feta and olives

For Christmas, my sister gifted me a boneless leg of lamb (yes, we're that kind of family) and instead of my usual rosemary-garlic treatment, I decided to Greek it up with olives and feta. If you are looking for an easy and elegant New Year Eve or Day dinner, this is just the thing, and best of all, you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients.

I had no idea what the freezing cold present on my lap was until I unwrapped it.

This incredible lamb came from the aptly named Elysian Fields Farms in Colorado. They supply lamb to Michael Mina's restaurant in San Francisco where my sister is wrapping up work. Boneless leg of lamb is pretty easy to find now, though. You can get it from Trader Joe's or Costco or your local grocery store. (If not, just order it from your butcher.)

I took a short cut and used a green and black olive salsa I found at Costco (it's delicious and one of my favorite items there). You can use an equivalent amount of green and black olives and feta and sundried tomatoes. I'll show you how below.

BONELESS LEG OF LAMB WITH OLIVES AND FETA AND ROASTED POTATOES

This elegant meal serves 8.

• 1 5-7 pound boneless leg of lamb
• 1 generous cup of green and black olive salsa (with feta and tomatoes)*
• 1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 2-3 pounds of red potatoes, quartered and tossed with olive oil salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425º. Carefully remove elastic netting from leg of lamb and set aside (DO NOT CUT IT, keep this you will need it later). Open the leg of lamb and rub it all over with olive oil and salt and pepper it. Smear the olive mixture all over the inside of the lamb then carefully roll it up (or fold it up) and reassemble it.

Here is lamb opened up with the olive mixture on top.

Take the reserved netting and carefully slide it back over the lamb and stretch it until it is back in place. Place lamb in roasting pan and surround with potatoes. Shmear the garlic over the lamb, pack the rosemary on, and add a little more salt and pepper to both the lamb and the potatoes.

Here is the lamb ready to go into the oven.

Put a meat thermometer into the lamb and put into the oven. Immediately turn heat down to 325º and roast until internal temperature reaches 142º for medium rare or 150º for medium. It took about an hour and 15 minutes or so to roast. I can't quite remember. Remove from oven and tent wit foil for 20 minutes.

To slice the lamb, cut through the netting with scissors and remove. slice thinly and arrange on platter with potatoes surrounding. We served this with a baked zucchini casserole and with cilantro and chili chutneys on the side.

Slicing the lamb. It's cooked perfectly.

If you are looking for something to cook for New Year's that will be a winnah, try this roasted lamb. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

*To make your own olive mixture, hit up your grocery store olive bar and toss and handful each of pitted green and black (Kalamata) olives into your food processor along with a big handful of feta and some oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes. About a heaping tablespoon of those.

If beef is more your thing, check out my recipe for brisket.

 

[All photos taken with my iPhone cuz that's how I do things now.]

Comments

[Sam]

Wow!... that lamb looks amazing.

[Kayris]

My family gives food too. Or booze. My BIL said he did half his shopping at the Asian market and the other half at the liquor store this year. The first year I spent with my H, I thought it was hysterical that they gave each other cases of beer with Christmas cards taped to them. This year, I got my very own case of cider. I think that's the best Christmas tradition I ever heard of.

The lamb looks fantastic. We're having Creamy Seafood Soup with shrimp. I think your dinner looks more exciting.

[amyB]

Oh my goshhhh this looks so good!!!! I've never had lamb other than lamb chops. I'll have to try this when I get home!

[Anne @ Pink Galoshes]

This lamb recipe looks divine. I love the marriage of olives and lamb, so delicious.