A Good Springtime Lamb

You can tell we're heading towards Easter and Passover by the arrival of lamb in supermarkets. it ones of the most traditional main dishes to serve in Spring.It is tasty and tender if done right.. Lamb can be a temperamental meat to cook, however it can be redeemed with the right recipe.

Julia Moskin explored this in The New York Times Food section today. She  contributed to the Recipe Lab  today , writing and experimenting with lamb.A home chef should start off with an American lamb. Australian and New Zealand born ones tend to be bred smaller and killed at a younger age  than ours. The result is a meat more cottony in texture with less taste. The plus side is that they are plentiful and cheap.Searing , not roasting is the best way to cook them, so you may want to reserve these lambs for your Spring or Summer barbecue. The American variety goes to slaughter at an older age which yields more meat. Be prepared to pay a higher price for ,though. A rack  of American lamb can cost as much as $55 a pound at some of New York's pricier butcheries. Also try to get half a leg as opposed to an entire one  because it roasts evenly However if you're throwing a big holiday dinner go for the whole leg, If your roast  is for Passover go to a kosher butcher for it. The sciatic nerve has to be removed, If not go for a double loin or shoulder for a more Passover approved cut.


How lamb is prepared is the most important. You want it to have the right flavor.It should have a savory mineral taste like well aged steak or raw oyster, Ms Moskin states. How to achieve this?.The answer comes in  the unlikely pairing of anchovy and butter which gives the meat an unami taste. You can sub in mustard for the fish if you don't like it.The anchovy  butter caramelizes the top layer , giving the roast a nice crunchy coating.It also enhances the accompanying gravy  too. Rosemary, another springtime herb along with garlic is also used . All of this is mashed up into a paste (use a mortar and pestle for mashing the anchovies) and smeared liberally all over the leg.as soon as it 's popped into the oven , cut a lemon in half and squeeze its' juice over the meat. Cooking time is between a hour to an hour and a half. The gravy is made as the roast is set out to warm .This is the drippings mixed with white wine as a kind of sharp jus. Serve with spring vegetables such as asparagus , dandelion greens and artichokes.

Lamb is the main star of any holiday or springtime dinner. Make it this way for a mouth watering dish that will quickly become a holiday tradition. It's a new spin on an old tradition.