Roasted Lamb with Potatoes & White Wine (Roman Spring Lamb)

A beautiful dish for Easter, Roasted Spring Lamb with Potatoes & White Wine - good every time! The recipe is adapted from one of our favorite Italian cookbooks, The Silver Spoon. Have you ever cooked lamb before? Have questions? Try our LIVE! online, interactive Cooking Class from our farmhouse/cooking school in Italy on March 16th and make this dish right along with the Chef! (Details Here)

Roman Spring Lamb
Roasted Lamb with Potatoes & White Wine

1 kilo or 2 lb leg of lamb, in pieces (ask the butcher to do this for you)
flour for dusting
2 glugs of olive oil
3 sprigs of rosemary
a small handful of sage leaves
couple of cloves of garlic
glass of white wine
1/3 glass of white wine vinegar (about 5 tablespoons)
4 potatoes, sliced
salt & pepper
2/3 cup water, boiling
optional: 2-3 anchovies (or capers or anchovy paste)

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C

Dust the pieces of lamb with flour, shake off the excess.

In a heavy bottomed roasting pan, over medium-high heat brown the lamb on all sides in a couple glugs of olive oil, turning frequently (about 10 minutes).

Once browned, season with salt & pepper. Toss in the rosemary, sage & garlic.
Combine in a glass the wine & vinegar, then add to the roasting pan. Reduce until almost all the liquid has evaporated, turning the lamb frequently.

Once the pan is almost dry, add the boiling water. Then top with the slices of potatoes (its OK not to cover the entire dish) and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes until tender WITH a foil lid.

If it seems to be drying out - add in a little hot water mixed with a dash of white wine.

For something truly authentic, 10 minutes before the lamb is ready smush 2-3 anchovy filets in a bowl with a little of the pan juices/sauces and pour over the entire lamb/potato dish and return to oven to finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes.

Check your seasonings.
To Serve: pick out the stems of herbs and transfer the meat to a warm serving dish and spoon the pan sauces/gravy over the top with the potatoes.

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Why do roasted potatoes taste so much better in Italy?! Well, it could be a few reasons. First the potatoes are golden and buttery to begin with (and homegrown at our farm) and secondly because they are made with with a two-step roasting process. This two part cooking process uses two different temperatures to achieve the desired flavor and look of the potatoes. The first half of the cooking time done at the lower temp is primarily to cook the potatoes until soft. The second half of the cooking time is done at a higher temp to get that gorgeous golden color. (The movement of air with a convection fan will act in lieu of raising the oven’s temperature.) 

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Serves 4

4 medium sized yellow potatoes (you can use any type you like, but we prefer gold/yellow potatoes) - peeled or skins left on is your choice.
whole clove of garlic, skin removed
salt & pepper
olive oil
small sprig of rosemary (do not cut into pieces)

Place a roasting pan in a cold oven and preheat to 350 F/180 C degrees.
Cut your potatoes into chunks, the larger the size, the longer it will take to cook. The smaller they are cut, the crunchier they will get and a shorter cooking time is needed.

In a bowl, combine the potatoes, a little salt & pepper, clove of garlic and rosemary sprig broken in half - do not chop it up. Toss the potatoes with a very little amount of oil, just enough to coat it. Too much oil will result in greasy potatoes.

Once the oven comes up to temperature, carefully remove the roasting pan and line with parchment paper. Place the potatoes in a single layer on the roasting pan, not too crowded.

Place in the oven and roast until they are soft about 20-30 minutes (depending on the size you cut your potatoes). They will not have much color yet. Remove from oven, with a spatula give the potatoes a flip/turn and return to oven.

Now, if your oven has a convection fan, turn it on - leaving the temperature the same - allowing the the potatoes to continue to roast until they have good color. (about 15-20 minutes depending).

If your oven does NOT have a convection fan raise the temperature to 375 F / 190 C degrees until your potatoes have a nice color, cooking about another 15-20 minutes (depending).

During the 2nd half, you may need to give the pots another turn/flip with the spatula.
To serve, remove the garlic & rosemary sprigs.

Roasted Root Vegetables {Heirloom Beets & Carrots}

Move over mashed potatoes! This winter why not try something different like roasted root vegetables?  Parsnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, fennel, etc. go great with rich meats or as a side dish or antipasto. As autumn comes to an end and fresh vegetables are harder to come by we like to mix and match our root veggies. For example why not add potatoes or carrots to your mashed potatoes adding a bit of color and complexity to the taste.  It's easy to do too, simply peel the carrots or beets and dice and boil in the same pot as the potatoes. Then mash'em, adding in your butter and milk. You can also braise or grill certain root vegetables.

On a side note: I grew up hating beets because my parents forced us to eat them from a can! It was horrific. I promise you that fresh picked beets taste nothing like the tinned variety.

Root vegetables are rich in nutrients, low in fat and calories, inexpensive and usually available throughout the year.  Beyond that, they have wildly varying characteristics.  Radishes are pungent, carrots sweet, beets earthy.  Others, like parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas, have more subtle flavors. Root vegetables preserve well in the ground or in a dry cool place.

Fresh from the garden carrots and "candles of fire" beets

Roasted Root Vegetables

Keep in mind that different veggies have different cooking times. For instance the beets will need to be boiled & skinned first, where as the carrot can be roasted raw.

serves 6

1 bulb fennel
2-3 med. beets (we use a long variety, but you can use the classic round beet as well)
a bunch of baby carrots or 2-3 normal carrots, peeled & left whole
couple cloves of garlic, skins removed
handful of parsley leaves, whole
salt & pepper
olive oil

In a pot of boiling water, cook the beets until a knife easily slips through them. Drain & allow to cool. Once you can handle them, rub the beets with a damp kitchen rag & the skins will slough off. If you are using long beets like the photo above, simply quarter them length wise. For the traditional round beets, cut them into 1 inch square chunks.

Take the fennel, cut in half & remove the bottom core by cutting an inverted ‘V’ at the base.   Then simply slice the fennel lengthwise into inch wide pieces.

If you have baby carrots, just clean them up & throw them in whole, they look gorgeous! If not, cut your carrots by quartering them lengthwise - use your judgement & try to keep your cuts similar to the size of your fennel.

Toss all the root veggies in a bowl with a couple cloves of garlic left whole, a few pinches of salt & crack of pepper, finishing with 2-3 glugs of olive oil. Toss everything together & layout out a baking pan with parchment paper.

Bake in a hot oven 400 F or 200 C for about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, give everything. If you have a convection setting turn it on now, if not raise the temp. to 425 or 215 C. Continue roasting for another 15-25 minutes depending on the size you cut your vegetables. The cooking time is generally about an hour in total, I like to keep it in until the edges get the burny crispy edges. Five minutes before the veggies are done add you whole parsley leaves atop & give it another turn. Be careful not to leave it in too much longer, you don’t want the parsley to burn, but just wilt.


Serve with a drizzle of really good olive oil & serve with anything: roasted chicken, grilled meats, fish, put it on cibatta bread with soft cheese - all by itself, you name it, it’s delish!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onion, Oregano & Mint

A new spin on squash: oregano & mint instead of cinnamon & nutmeg. Best used with butternut squash or turban pumpkins the meaty flesh makes for a hearty fall dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onion, Oregano & Mint Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squash, or half a turban pumpkin seeded and cut into 1-inch slices
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, sliced paper thin
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
1 clove of garlic, sliced paper-thin
small handful fresh mint leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. / 220 C 

Season the squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil, and place in a single layer on 1 or 2 cookie sheets. Bake in the oven until just tender, about 18 to 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, stir together the remaining oil, vinegar, onion, chile flakes, oregano, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Remove the squash from the oven and pour the marinade over. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the marinade, sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, and serve. 

This dish can be made earlier in the day but should not be refrigerated.