Once in a while, I’ll roast an entire leg of lamb. I end up with a lot of lamb leftover. There are worse problems to have.
This recipe incorporates some Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients.
Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb over Saffron Cilantro Rice with Raisins & Almonds
Once in a while, I’ll roast an entire leg of lamb. I end up with a lot of lamb leftover. There are worse problems to have. This recipe incorporates some Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients.
Ingredients
For the Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb:
- 1 boneless leg of lamb, (about 4-5 lbs)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves of garlic, (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground green cardamom
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 10 fresh mint leaves, (or about 3 Tbsp, finely chopped)
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, (finely chopped)
- 2 small hot fresh chiles, (very finely minced)
- ½ clove garlic, (very finely minced)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the Saffron Cilantro Rice with Raisins & Almonds:
- 1 shallot, (finely minced)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 1.5 cups Basmati rice, (rinsed under cold water for 3-5 minutes)
- 2.25 cups cups water ((or 2 cups if you prefer a drier finished rice product))
- 20 saffron threads, (or about 2 tsp)
- ½ cup dried raisins, (plumped in hot water for 10 minutes and drained)
- ½ cup slivered almonds, (lightly toasted)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, (finely sliced)
Instructions
For the Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb:
- Preheat the oven to 315F.
- In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, pepper, and salt.
- Mix to combine.
- Rub the spice mixture all over the lamb, making sure to get it into all the crevices.
- Place the lamb on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.
- Roast the lamb at 315F for about 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 145F.
- Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- *If you prefer to brown the meat after roasting, cook the leg a bit less in the oven, and quickly brown the leg of lamb in a large saute pan on the stove with hot vegetable oil after you remove it from the oven.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mint, parsley, chiles and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and kosher salt.
- Mix to combine.
- Add some freshly-ground black pepper, if desired.
- Set the herb sauce and roasted lamb aside for whenever the rice is done cooking and you are ready to serve.
For the Saffron Cilantro Rice with Raisins & Almonds:
- While the lamb is roasting, rinse your basmati rice for 3-5 minutes under cold water, changing the water every 30 seconds.
- Drain the rice and set aside for later.
- Add 2 Tbsp butter and the minced shallot to your rice cooking pot on the stove, and turn the heat to medium-low.
- Add the lid and gently sweat the shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent and almost tender.
- Add the 1.5 cups of Basmati rice and the 2.25 cups water to the rice cooking pot with the shallots and butter.
- Add the saffron, and gently stir to mix in with the rice.
- Increase the heat to high.
- When the water begins to simmer, cover the pot tightly with a lid and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook on low heat, without removing the lid, for an additional 15 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, plump your raisins in hot water for 10 minutes and drain them.
- Lightly toast your slivered almonds and set aside.
- Chop your fresh cilantro and set aside.
- When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, remove from heat and remove lid.
- Quickly add the plumped raisins, toasted slivered almonds, and chopped cilantro and fluff the rice gently with a fork to incorporate the ingredients together.
- *Try to avoid stirring the rice or overmixing the rice at this stage.
- Cover the rice again with a lid and allow to sit off the heat for an additional 5-7 minutes.
- When the lamb is tender and the rice is cooked, you are ready to serve.
- Slice the lamb into sections roughly ¼” thick.
- Prepare plates or large bowls with a large spoonful of rice on the bottom.
- Add the slices of lamb to each serving, on top of the rice.
- Top the lamb with any remaining fresh chopped mint or cilantro you have leftover.
- Add a spoonful or two of the herb sauce you made earlier that contains mint, parsley, chiles, and garlic.
Notes
This might also be nice with a scoop of Tzatziki sauce or Greek yogurt on the side.
This dish will still taste good when re-heated as leftovers.
This dish will still taste good when re-heated as leftovers.