I didn’t get to do a blog entry yesterday. We had company early and all day, so I just never had time to do it, so today I will probably do two posts to get caught up. Catching up is more for me because it keeps me writing, but it also keeps everything on schedule for my meal plan as well. Anyway, yesterday was Roast Leg of Lamb, Baked Potatoes, Cauliflower and Turnips (and it was quite tasty by the way). None is hard to make, just maybe a little time-consuming and there is some prep work to be done, but it’s well worth it.

Roast Leg of Lamb

5-6 pound leg of lamb (semi-boneless or boneless is fine, although boneless is quite expensive)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove of garlic, mashed

1 teaspoon ground rosemary

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, blend mustard, soy sauce, garlic, rosemary and ginger until mixed thoroughly. Whisk in the olive oil by droplets to make the mixture have a mayonnaise-like consistency. With a rubber spatula, paint the mixture on the lamb to coat it thoroughly. Set the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow to marinade.

Roast lamb in 350 degree oven until an oven-safe thermometer inserted in the meat reads 150 degrees for medium-rare (about 1-1 1/4 hours), or 160 degrees for well done (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours).

Making the marinade and marinading the lamb takes longer than the actual roasting, but it does add a nice flavor and crust to the meat.

For the side dishes, I made baked potatoes, which we have done before. If you would like to see my method for making them, you can check here for the recipe. Both the cauliflower and the turnips are quite simple to make but I will put both recipes up here so you can see what I did with them.

Steamed Cauliflower

1 head (about 2 pounds) cauliflower. cored and florets cut into 1-inch pieces

Place a steaming rack or basket into a large pot or Dutch oven and add water until it touches the bottom of the rack. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Lay the cauliflower in the steaming rack, cover, and steam until tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. Check the pot periodically to make sure the water has not boiled dry, adding more water as needed.

The turnips are just as simple:

Pureed Turnips

1 1/2 pounds turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

Ground black pepper

Place the cut turnips in a large pot with water to cover and add a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the turnips are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. You want them fully tender but not mushy. Drain the turnips well, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Cool slightly and put them in a blender or food processor with as much of the cooking liquid as you need to get the machine going. (You can also mash the turnips with a large fork or potato masher, adding the cooking liquid as needed.) Add the olive oil or butter and stir, then taste and season with more salt if necessary and sprinkle with pepper.

You could also add up to 1/2 cup of cream, sour cream, half-and-half or milk to make the mixture rich and creamier if you like.

That was our dinner yesterday, and there were some leftovers, which makes things a perfect lead-in for tonight’s dinner, which will be Shepherd’s Pie. We’ll be using the leftover lamb and turnips as part of the recipe, which I’ll be posting later on today as the start of our one pot meals week. Until then, enjoy your afternoon and I’ll be back later!