A Combo that was Mint to Be: Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Pistachio Pesto

"I supervise from the couch." - F.P.G.

When I was a kid, I and my siblings were allowed to choose our birthday dinners. My sister always asked for Stuffed Shells. My brother usually chose Yankee Pot Roast with Grandma's Apple Pie for dessert (and my grandmother always made two pies, one for Lars and one for the rest of us!) I usually switched between two meals. Lasagna or Roast Leg of Lamb with Mashed Potatoes and Lima Beans. What can I say...I was an odd one. Seriously - I LOVED Lima Beans. Still do.

As an adult I've made plenty of Lamb Chops but I've shied away from the whole leg since I'm usually only cooking for two.

During a recent visit to Kroger I found a small cut - a three pound leg of lamb - and I put it in the cart immediately and started to dream about how I'd prepare it.

When we were younger, my siblings and I would watch my dad spread the most disgusting translucent mint jelly all over his lamb. I think I tried it once and quickly decided he was crazy (this same man goes crazy for his annual Christmas "treat" of jarred pickled herring. #blesshim. #dryheave)

I've since had delicious lamb with versions of mint rubs and a very memorable birthday dinner of lamb chops with mint pasta at a local restaurant here in Georgia. I will never go for the mint jelly but I've learned to love the marriage of lamb and mint.

I wanted to replicate the mint pasta without having to make homemade mint-infused pasta (though I will try this sometime) and found a recipe for Mint Pistachio Pesto that I thought would taste great tossed on pasta. I was right.

It also tastes great spread on the roasted lamb.

Mint-Pistachio Pesto
I made the pesto earlier in the day. It keeps for about a week and makes about a pint.

Finished pesto.

• 1 cup pistachios (shelled. I purchased pre-shelled pistachios but thought they were roasted a little too much so will go for unshelled and shell them my self.)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled. I cut the "ends" off for this.
• 1/4 cup or more fresh lemon juice (do not buy the lemon juice at the store - buy real lemons and squeeze them. Please.)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves (lightly packed - ok to go a little over)
• 1 cup fresh parsley

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste it - add lemon juice or olive oil if it's a little thick. Needs mint? Add some more - just be careful about making sure it's all blended in. Set aside/refrigerate.

This is delicious. It has a good, familiar pesto flavor with enough of a hint of mint and lemon to make it almost refreshing. This would taste great with chicken, in eggs and, of course, with lamb.

Roast Leg of Lamb

• Leg of lamb (bone in is best for flavor in this case)
• Olive Oil (to coat/rub on the lamb - 1-3 tablespoons)
• Rosemary (3 to 5 sprigs depending on how big the leg is. 3 worked for a 3 pound lamb) mince the leaves
• 6 or more Garlic Cloves pressed through a garlic press

I researched this and this technique resulted in a crazy good leg of lamb.

First: remove the lamb from the refrigerator an hour prior to all of this. This is so you aren't putting a super cold piece of meat into the oven.

Prep the lamb rub - mince the rosemary and stir into the pressed garlic. You can mince the garlic if you would like but the garlic press is so much easier! Set aside.

Prep the oven - set a rack so that the roasting pan will be a few inches away from the broiler elements (test it with the roasting pan to be sure). 

Post-broil with rub applied.

Prep the lamb - for the most part you won't need to trim (the fat back melts into the meat - fat is flavor) or remove any bones since most grocery stores sell legs that are well butchered. I like a bone-in leg since that also adds flavor.

Rub the lamb with olive oil then season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides. Set in a rack in the roasting pan. It won't matter which side faces up at this point.

Place the lamb in the oven with the broiler on and broil for 5 minutes. Remove and flip the lamb over and roast the other side for another 5 minutes.

Remove the pan/lamb and set the oven for 325. Move the oven rack back to the middle of the oven.

Spread the rub on the lamb - I use a small offset spatula because it gives some good control of the rub. I spread it on the "top" or the fat. Cover the lamb loosely with foil.

Place the lamb back in the oven and roast at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes per pound.

Cook to desired "doneness." Lamb, in my opinion is best medium rare which is about 135 degrees. If you like it done a little more, roast it for about 25 minutes per pound (to about 140 degrees).

Done.

Finished meal with pasta tossed in Mint Pistachio Pesto,
roasted asparagus and lamb with the pesto.