This recipe is the perfect elegant and easy celebratory meal.  It relies on the quality of the lamb, the freshness of the herbs and the arrival of Spring.  I like to serve it with couscous made with caramelized onions and asparagus and I’ve included those recipes below. Add a lovely light red and the company of good friends.  This is an easily made, elegant Easter lunch and serves 6 delighted guests.

FOR THE LAMB
Ingredients
½ Leg of Lamb, bone-in—approximately 5 lbs
6 garlic cloves, sliced
3 sprigs each Rosemary, Sage and Thyme
1 tablespoon La Castellina Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

 With lamb at room temperature heat oven to 425 degrees.  While the oven is heating make small pockets in diagonal rows in the lamb and insert a garlic slice and part of each sprig of the herbs—rosemary, sage and thyme into each pocket.  Coat with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  Turn the oven down to 350 and roast 20 minutes per pound  until thermometer is at 130 degrees for medium rare or longer per your preference.
Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes.  Carve and serve with

CARAMELIZED ONION COUSCOUS
Ingredients for the onions
2 tablespoons La Castellina Olive Oil
1 large red onion thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
*
2 tablespoons Salute Sante: Grapeseed Oil
2 cups Hand Rolled Couscous
Pepper
3 cups Aneto Chicken Broth 

 Prepare the onions:Gently heat 2 tablespoons La Castellina olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add thinly sliced red onions and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat until onions begin to soften

Sprinkle mixture with sugar, stir to blend.  Add minced garlic and continue to cook over low heat until garlic softens-- about 2 minutes.

Add 1/8 cup water - once reduced, add the remaining water. Continue to cook over low heat until the onions have caramelized.

Set aside.

Prepare the couscous: Heat 2 tablespoons grape seed oil over low heat and add couscous, sprinkle with pepper then continue to cook over low heat until couscous is fragrant and slightly toasted, stirring occasionally,  approximately 8  minutes.

Add chicken broth and stir, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes then toss the caramelized onion mixture into the couscous.

Asparagus sautéed with garlic and oil, salt and pepper
Ingredients
2 tablespoons La Castellina Olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 bunched trimmed asparagus
Salt and pepper 

These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson

 How can it be possible to cook a meal that is so simple and luxuriously delicious without resorting to tortuous techniques, multiple ingredients and the drama and mystique of complicated food?

My way is to start with the best quality ingredients. In this case all-natural USDA grass-fed lamb-- the standard at Olde Hudson.  Sweet and tender and delicate without antibiotics or hormones, these lambs are vegetarians grazing happily on grass and then grain-finished.

An 8-chop rack will serve two people but this recipe is easy to double for a bigger very lucky crowd. Pictured above, the fresh salad accompaniment highlights and contrasts the divine lamb.  Another suggestion?  You can add Caramelized French baby carrots.  My recipe is below.

Pre-heat oven to 450-degrees.

Place garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a mortar and using the pestle pound to a paste.  Season the underside of the lamb with salt and pepper and rub the herb paste on the top, fatty, side of the rack. Cover and refrigerate until 1 hour before you cook.

Place in your roasting pan and roast for eight minutes.  Turn oven down to 350-degrees and continue to roast for 20 minutes or until your fast-read thermometer hits 125-degrees for rare or 130 for medium.  Let the rack rest for a few minutes before you carve-- after all the oohs and aahs subside--along the ribs.

Pictured above I’ve served the lamb  with fresh picked mixed greens, thinly sliced red onion,  heirloom tomatoes and a simple dressing of La Castellina Olive Oil, Unio Muscatel Vinegar, Sel Magique's Herbs de Provence and crushed Pink Peppercorns. This dish can be wonderfully enhanced with the Caramalized French Baby Carrots recipe below.

Caramelized French Baby Carrots-- a perfect partner!

Heat oil and butter in a sauté pan over low heat and add sliced shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook the shallots for two minutes until they soften add carrots and a pinch of sugar and continue to cook until carrots start to soften.

Add 1/4 cup water, reduce and stir occasionally until the carrots are slightly caramelized. Add the Olivewood Balsamic Vinegar, Lavender Honey, salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook until all the ingredients are well blended and the carrots are cooked to desired tenderness.

These ingredients can be found at Olde Hudson