Market Party – Grilled Leg of Lamb, Tomatoes with Ricotta Salata and Grilled Asparagus
We had a dinner party last night where the main meal was from the market and cooked on the grill. Butterflied leg of lamb was marinated in a yogurt and lemon sauce which was also served on the side. I stuffed tomatoes with ricotta salata and drizzled them with a basil oil and grilled them along side the lamb. Asparagus where prepared simply with a little salt, pepper and olive oil then grilled first over direct heat then allowed to finish off the heat. This was served on top of a bed of watercress.
Recipe: Grilled leg of lamb in yogurt-lemon-mint marinade
Summary: A butterflied leg of lamb is marinated in a sauce of yogurt, mint, garlic and lemon. The smoke from the fire adds depth to the fresh and bright flavors of the marinade. Lamb is very rich so a 3 pound boneless leg of lamb will make 10 to 12 servings.
Prep Time: Active time about 1 hour. Total time 6 hours to 1 day.
Ingredients
- 1 3lb butterflied Boneless Leg of Lamb
- 1 C Greek Yogurt
- Zest and Juice of one Lemon
- 4 large cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1/4 C finely minced Mint
- 1/4 C Olive Oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 bunch Watercress or Arugula
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Pat the leg of lamb dry with paper towels. Make thin cuts through the fat side (about 1/8″ deep) in a diamond pattern and 1/2″ apart. Remove any silver skin you find on the meat.
- Season well on all sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Use your hands to firmly pat the salt and pepper into the meat.
- Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Remove 1/2 to use as a sauce later. Put 1/2 the remaining yogurt mixture on one side. Rub the mixture in and work it into the little grooves and cavities. Flip the leg of lamb over and repeat with the other 1/2 of the remaining yogurt mixture.
- Put the leg in the fridge and let marinate for 6 hours to 24 hours.
- Remove the lamb from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while you prepare the grill. Make a banked fire in your barbecue (all the coals on one side. You want a medium hot fire (I use about 3/4 of my chimney starter full of charcoal). Once the coals are hot, lightly oil the grill rack.
- Place the lamb directly over the hot coals and put the lid on the BBQ. Wait 3 minutes. Then flip the leg over and put the lid back on. Wait 3 minutes. Check the leg. You should have nice browning on both sides. Move the leg to opposite side of the grill away from the coals. Put the lid on and let the meat roast for 10 minutes. Check for doneness to your liking.
- You can also roast the leg in a 425F oven. The time will depend on the thickness and how well done you want the meat. Roast for 10 minutes and turn over and continue to roast for 5 to 10 more minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. I shoot for rare to medium rare.
- Remove the meat and tent with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Carve in thin slices and plate. I plated the lamb on top of watercress which adds a fresh peppery taste to the mix.
- Thin the remaining yogurt sauce with a little water if it is overly thick. Serve the yogurt sauce along side the thinly sliced lamb.
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Check out what others are saying...[…] picked up tomatoes and really beautiful asparagus that I used for a Market Party Dinner (post will be up Sunday). I bought more ricotta salata – a dry salted ricotta cheese from […]