Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sunday - Happy Easter!!!!

Rack of lamb
Roasted fingerling potatoes
Slow cooked green beans (recipe in the comments)
Carrots with chervil and chives (recipe in the comments)

Fruit tart (Thanks to our guest, D)
Hot tea
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It's Easter and lamb is a traditional favorite. Last year we did a small ham as we were leaving town the following day, but we're back to lamb this year. We planned to do lamb chops, but the store was out when we went to purchase them. Next year we'll order ahead! The racks turned out beautifully - though they took longer to get to medium rare than we planned. That said, they were incredible to eat and perfectly flavored and tender. The roast potatoes were simply roasted with olive oil, kosher salt, and rosemary. So given the ease of those two, you get the side dish recipes. Neither of these were hard, but they turn out so well - and do so EVERY time! We make the green beans for most Thanksgivings. And the carrots will probably be a regular feature at Easter - appropriate, no?

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy to moderate in terms of skill, but far longer than a normal meal.
Chopping: Potatoes, onion, carrots, chives
Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours to prep and cook, but we spread t across the day, so I'm not completely clear.
Make ahead: We made the beans and carrots ahead and re-heated. The potatoes and lamb should be done close to serving time.

Reaction
J: "Very "holiday!"
M: "Behold the lamb!"

2 comments:

J said...

Slow Cooked Green Beans – How to Cook Everything
Serves 6

1 ½ lbs green beans, preferably thin and small, trimmed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
½ cup water
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon juice, to taste (about juice from a ½ lemon)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large skillet (with a lid). Bring to a boil. Stir, cover, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for 1 hour. Check for moistness every 15 minutes or so, adding a bit more water if it gets too dry.

J said...

Quick Braised Carrots – How to Cook Everything
Serves 4

1 lb carrots, cut into ½” slices (I use a bag of baby carrots)
1 T canola oil
¼ cup water
1-2 t sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: Fresh chives and dried chervil to taste, or a small amount of dried tarragon

Place all ingredients (except garnish) in a saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil. Stir, cover, lower temperature to medium low and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, raise heat, and cook until the liquid has all but evaporated. Lower the heat and cook until the carrots are tender (a couple more minutes).

Toss with garnish of choice and taste for seasoning.