Springtime Lamb Roast with Lemon & Herb Risotto

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I love to cook. Growing up, I wanted to go to culinary school but my life took me in a different direction. My love for cooking and learning new techniques has never faded. Now, it's a hobby. A hobby that JC totally loves since he gets to try new dishes all the time. Recently, to celebrate the arrival of Spring, I decided to make him a special dish, something more gourmet than I usually make. To me, spring is fresh herb and lemon dishes. After a little thought, I knew exactly what I wanted to make: a delicious Springtime Roast Lamb with a Lemon & Herb Risotto. So fancy!

Springtime Lamb Roast

serves 3-4

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 pound leg of lamb, boneless and butterflied

salt and pepper to taste

Filling:

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup fresh rosemary

5 cloves garlic, diced

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

kitchen twine

When I make dishes like this, I like to pull out all the stops. I purchase organic lamb, the freshest ingredients I can find and I always use my most amazing cookware: my bad boy Calphalon Signature™ Stainless Steel 12" Omelette Pan. One thing I have learned about cooking is that you need to use the right pans for certain dishes. My Springtime roast lamb needs to be seared and then roasted. I need to use a pan that heats evenly and can be transferred from stove top to oven. Calphalon Signature™ Stainless Steel cookware is made with five layers of metal that delivers exceptionally even heating and precise temperature control. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Gather all the ingredients for your filling.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, rosemary and walnuts. Cook until fragrant (about 5 minutes.)

Add spinach, salt and pepper to taste and cook until spinach wilts. 

Transfer filling to plate. Wipe down pan with a paper towel. Now to prepare your lamb for searing. First, make sure your lamb has been set out for at least 30 minutes if it was in the refrigerator. Cover your lamb with a piece of wax paper and than pound/flatten all over.

Season lamb with salt and pepper lightly. Then spread filling evenly all over the top of the meat. 

Now to roll it up. Cut a long piece of kitchen twine and set aside. 

Start at the thinnest end and slowly roll your meat. Some of the filling will spill out. Just stuff it back in at the end. 

Tie with twine. Make sure you tie it tight and end with a bow!

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Place lamb in pan and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side. 

I love to sear all meats I roast. Searing gives your roast such a beautiful color and helps trap in the juices! Once seared on all sides, transfer roast in the pan to oven and bake for about 1 hour. 

After 1 hour, remove roast from oven and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving. 

Make sure you slice into the meat with an extremely sharp knife. Also, make sure the slices are about 1 inch thick. Look at that filling!

I served my Springtime Lamb Roast with a Lemon and Herb Risotto. I love making risotto when I feel like a fancy meal, especially on date nights. I instantly feel like I am out at a restaurant, even though it's just JC and I at home.

Lemon & Herb Risotto

Serves 2

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup Arbolo rice

2 tbsp yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chicken stock, warmed

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook until rice begins to crackle, about 2 minutes. 

Slowly add chicken stock. NOTE: Please warm chicken stock before adding. This is a super important step to make sure your risotto is soft and creamy. 

Cover and cook rice over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, finely chop all your fresh herbs. 

Once your rice is al dente, lower heat to low and add your fresh herbs. 

Add your lemon juice, stir and turn off the heat. 

IMPORTANT: Time your meal so that the risotto is ready to serve as soon as it's done. If you need to wait before you serve it, keep it on low heat and add a little warm chicken stock before serving. 

This meal is so delicious. I highly suggest you try it out on your next at-home date night!

I love my stainless steel pans but honestly, I used to be terrified to use them. They look so pretty when you take them out of the box but man can they be nasty when you are done cooking with them. It used to be such a pain to clean all the cooked on food until I found the easiest method to clean stainless steel ever!

All you need to keep your stainless steel pans looking like new is a bottle of non-abrasive, non-bleach cleaner, a little water, a scrubbing pad and a cloth. 

First, add a little water to your stainless steel pan. Then sprinkle in your cleaner to a paste consistency.

Now for a little work. This part is all elbow grease. Grab your scrubbing pad and start scrubbing. It's not too bad though, you will immediately start seeing those spots disappear. Once all stains have been removed, rinse your pan and dry with a soft cloth. 

VOILA! Like new!! I always, always clean my stainless steel pans like this and they always come out amazing!!

In case you were wondering, I purchased my Calphalon Signature™ Stainless Steel cookware at Bed, Bath & Beyond! They are available online and in stores. Calphalon Signature™ Non-stick and Stainless Steel cookware pieces have a full lifetime warranty!

Tell me: Do you pull out all the stops for certain dishes? Do you go gourmet when it's a date night at home?

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