Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Onions

If you haven't tried cooking lamb, you're missing out.  A good leg of lamb is moist, rich, tender, with just a hint of a wild game flavor, and it takes to garlic and rosemary with dignity.  I made this dish years ago and it was so mouthwatering that I ate it out of the tupperware with my bare hands, like an animal, for probably a solid week afterwards.  Not that this is the raving endorsement you should be looking for, but I thought it was a pretty good story.  Cheers to my housemate for taking some very artistic shots this time, but jeers to him for making me realize that I need a better camera.

Ready to be sliced and served

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Onions
(Gigot D'Agneau Aux Pommes De Terre Et Oignons) 
Bon Appétit, May 1999

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 6- to 7-pound bone-in leg of lamb, excess fat trimmed 
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh savory or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 3/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• butter for roasting pan
• 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
• 1 3/4 cups beef stock or canned beef broth 

If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it to slice the potatoes and onions.  It gives you a perfectly even cut and saves 10 minutes of manual labor.

Ready your root vegetables.  A bed of potatoes and onions serve to cushion the lamb against burning, and absorb the drippings

Preheat oven to 400°F. Using small sharp knife, cut 1-inch-deep, 1/2-inch-long slits all over lamb. Cut up the garlic into thin slices and insert garlic into slits in the lamb. Rub oil all over lamb. Mix thyme, savory, rosemary, salt and pepper in small bowl. Rub herb mixture all over lamb. Set aside. 

Get the garlic deep down into the slits in the meat

Fresh thyme and rosemary really make this dish.  If you don't have fresh rosemary, don't even bother this time.

  

Grease up that lamb!

Rub the herb mixture all over the surface of the lamb

Generously butter large roasting pan. Combine potatoes, onions and stock in large pot (stock will not cover vegetables). Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are halfway tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer potato mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly in pan.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Place lamb in roasting pan atop potato mixture. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 130°F. for medium-rare, about 1 hour 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes. 

Thinly slice lamb. Arrange lamb on large platter. Surround with potato mixture and any juices from pan and serve. 

Kimchi Jeon (Kimchi Pancakes)

As I explore more ingredients from Asia, I've become curious about the different ways people use kimchi.  Pickled cabbage seems to be the lynchpin in a slew of different Korean recipes, used in everything from their Korean BBQ to fried rice recipes.  A Korean friend of mine mentioned that they make kimchi into pancakes, much like potato pancakes.  I had to try this.  And other than the fact that these came out a bit thicker than I was envisioning, they were unbelievably delicious, crisp, tart, and made for a great meal that probably could have been an appetizer for many folks had I not been so keen on destroying them in a small group setting.

How could these possibly be bad?!

Kimchi Jeon
Saveur, November 2009
Serves 4-6

These savory pancakes are flavored with ground pork and chopped kimchi.  This recipe makes about 25 small pancakes; you can also cook large ones that fit the bottom of the skillet and slice them into wedges.

• ¼ lb ground pork (I used chicken in a pinch once, but pork is preferred)
• 2 cups chopped cabbage kimchi
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup rice flour
• 6 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 10.5 tbsp canola oil
• Kosher salt to taste

Combine ground pork, kimchi, flour, rice flour, scallions, egg, and 1 cup ice cold water in a bowl; whisk to combine.  Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes.

Chop up your kimchi.  I got mine at the Asian grocery store - you might be able to find it in the refrigerated produce section of a normal store.

Measure out the pork and green onions.

Mix all ingredients together to get a consistency that looks like chicken salad.  It's important to use ice water.

Working in 7 batches, heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a 12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Scoop 4 2 tbsp portions batter into skillet.  Flatten each portion with the back of a spoon.  Cook until edges crisp, about 2 minutes.  Flip pancakes, cook until set, about 2 minutes.  Transfer pancakes to paper towels and wipe out skillet after each batch.  

I spread my pancakes out wide in the pan, making just a few large ones.  But you could do smaller, more human-sized pancakes

Serve sprinkled with salt, and garnish with a sweet and / or spicy dipping sauce.  I recommend a sweet chili-garlic sauce, but you could even do a spicy ranch if you were really desperate.

30 Minute Cassoulet

I love a good cassoulet - sit me down with that on the menu, and I almost don't care what else the place serves, I'm going to order it.  And what's not to love - a gigantic plate of meat, garlic, some herbs, and white beans, cooked until they're just starting to crisp in a hefty cast iron skillet.  I would love to make this at home, but the problem is that I don't want to sit around making the four or five different cuts of meat that chefs usually nestle into the beans, which is often some infuriating combination of rabbit, duck, Merguez sausage, and other difficult to procure animals or animal bits.

So while nosing through a family cookbook called Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pepin based on his PBS TV series, I stopped cold when I saw a recipe called "30 Minute Cassoulet".  I almost didn't care what meats were in it, though I was pleasantly surprised.  A recipe that promised all of the flavors of a French bistro dish in less time than it takes to get service from a snotty French waiter?  Check, please.

The last time I saw this much meat in one place... [insert joke here]

30 Minute Cassoulet
from Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pepin

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound daisy ham, tough outer skin removed (stand by for description)
• 3/4 pound mild Italian sausages, cut into 3" pieces
• 4 bratwurst sausages, cut into thirds
• 1 cup diced whole button mushrooms (3 oz)
• 3/4 cup diced (1/2") onion
• 2 tbsp crushed garlic (4 cloves)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 15.5 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup diced (1") tomato (1 large tomato's worth)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley

Okay, the ingredients.  First and foremost, what the heck is daisy ham?  I asked the same thing.  For a first recipe from this book, I wasn't pleased that he called for some obscure meat product that no red-blooded American has ever heard of.  But not to worry, I looked it up and it turns out that this is just a smoked, boneless ham, typically Boston Butt, and individually sealed up.  I found it with no difficulty in the meat section, over by the cooked ham.  Go America.  Next, the other meats.  I went with mild rather than hot Italian sausage, which I think was the right choice.  And I stayed with the bratwurst called for in the original recipe.

A daisy ham.  This one even had 'daisy' in the brand name.  I cut off the outer skin and then it was just delicious smoked ham.

All kinds of sausage going on here.  Recipe calls for cutting up the Italian and keeping the bratwurst whole

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the ham and Italian sausage.  Do NOT add the bratwurst, that gets steamed / poached in the next step.  Cover and cook over high heat for 7-8 minutes, turning occasionally.  This gets good browning but helps cook everything through, and slows the drippings from burning to the pan.

Brown the ham and Italian sausage with a lid on - not what I would have expected, but it worked

Add the bratwurst, mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.  Mix well and cook for 5-6 minutes.

The next round of additions is the mushrooms, aromatics, and the bratwurst

Getting a bit crowded in the pan, I wondered if maybe I should switch pans.  But I like a challenge.

Add the beans, tomato, water, and pepper, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and boil gently for 5-10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomato and rinsed white beans

This is when I knew the pan was too small.  Oh well.

Give everything a stir to incorporate, cover, and cook on low for just a few minutes!

 

10 minutes of this, and you're good to go.  And if you end up doing other things and letting this cook longer, it's only going to make it better.  At serving time, discard the bay leaf, cut the ham into slices and slice sausage pieces in half, and arrange meat on platter with beans.  Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with Tabasco and Dijon mustard.

Cassoulet, served in 30 minutes or more.

Stuffed Apricot-Glazed Chicken Thighs

I've been sitting on this recipe for 10 years, and never wanted to make it because it looked complicated and time consuming.  Oh Emeril, why must you make food that looks delicious but has such a long ingredient list?  Plus, the last thing I wanted to do was de-bone a bunch of chicken quarters.  But when it was proposed that I just stuff the filling into regular bone-in chicken quarters, I gave it a shot.  And it was awesome.  Didn't hurt that I had help making the stuffing either, which was good enough that it could be eaten almost as its own meal.

The stuffed quarters, just before serving

Sausage and Rice-Stuffed Dark Chicken Quarters with Apricot Glaze
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped carrots
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced orange zest
• 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons toasted almond slivers
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 8 boned (except for the knuckle or joint at the bottom of the drumstick) dark chicken quarters, the thigh and the drumstick all in 1 piece
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir until it turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in the raisins, almonds, parsley, thyme, cinnamon, and salt. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread on a baking sheet to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
 

Meanwhile, in a saucepan make the glaze by combining the jam, remaining 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, sugar, and orange juice. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. You can test when this is done by dipping in a wooden spoon, holding it vertically, and running your finger across the glaze.  If it doesn't drip down across where you dragged your finger, it's thick enough.  If it's still runny, reduce it some more.  Set aside to cool.

The apricot jam before it became a glaze.

Stuff a good 3-4 tablespoons into each cavity and seal with a few skewers

Season the chicken legs lightly with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and divide the stuffing between the legs, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup each. Be careful not to tear the skin, or to leave stuffing hanging out on the baking sheet.  Pull the skin up around the filling and secure shut with a toothpick (I used trussing needles).

Because these were bone-in, I partially cooked them for a while, then applied the sugar glaze to prevent even more burning than I ended up with

If you went to the trouble to de-bone the chicken, you can apply the glaze and cook directly - the sugars won't burn for the short time that this is in the oven.  Coat with the apricot glaze and bake until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes, re-applying the glaze twice. If, however, you used bone-in chicken, you have to add about 20 minutes of cooking time to this.  So bake without the glaze for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and apply the glaze, then bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, re-applying the glaze as above.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately.