Lamb Marinated in Meyer Lemon & Fennel Pollen
Fennel Friday is here and a good match is fennel and lamb. The Citrus Fennel Sea Salt and Fennel Pollen from Pollen Ranch take this roast dinner to the next level of Drool – as in so good that just the aroma will make you drool.
When I was growing up, we had lamb for special occasions (like Easter & other Holidays) but it was not a regular at the dinner table. Lamb became a regular on my dinner table when I lived in London and I turned to cooking more with lamb and less with beef. Although the mad cow scares were not really prominent when I was there, it was always in the back of my mind and the beef just did not taste like the beef I was used to in the USA; but the lamb was a different story … tender, succulent, excellent quality and less expensive than beef and I fell in love all over again with lamb.
Who doesn’t love a gorgeous rack of lamb, but a rack is not always budget conscious (putting it mildly) so I get the boneless leg of lamb roasts at Costco or a local meat market. I have found the roasts at Costco to be good quality, budget friendly and easy to pick up and prepare.
The key to a good lamb roast is in the marinade. I did the lamb roast last night on the fly – it was super easy to prepare and the results were outstanding. The roast was 4.3 pounds and I used the cooking guidelines from American Lamb – they were dead on for how the lamb came out – medium rare and slightly more on the rare side is my preferred way to eat lamb.
I marinated in the late morning and popped the roast back in the refrigerator. One hour prior to roasting, I pulled it out and allowed it to come to room temperature. Follow the American Lamb cooking guidelines and use your meat thermometer to get the results that you prefer.
I packed the veggies around the lamb and let them slow roast as well and served brown rice and quinoa with garlic on the side. PERFECTION!
Marinade for the Lamb
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1 Meyer Lemon – juice
- 8 Cloves of Garlic – smooshed and minced
- 1 tablespoon of Fennel Pollen
- 1 tablespoon Tarragon dried or handful of sprigs of tarragon if fresh
- Citrus Fennel Sea Salt from Pollen Ranch (I was fairly generous with this but use like you would to salt a roast)
- Pepper to taste
Directions
Spread the roast and get the oil and garlic and spices into all of the crevices. I used twine to tie it back up before roasting. I pour on the oil and then use my hands to get all the good stuff all over the roast. Then put it back in refrigerator until an hour before it goes into the oven.
For the Vegetables
I drizzled some olive oil and used my hands to spread it around the veggies (and a few pats of butter), then generously dressed them with the Citrus Fennel Sea Salt, some tarragon (dried) and pepper. We had carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions and fennel but you can make whatever you like best!
They roasted with the lamb and while the lamb was resting outside the oven, I tossed the veggies in the juices, added a few more pats of butter and some more salt and pepper. Turn the oven up to 425F and roast for another 15 min or until they are “done” for you.
Slice it up and Serve! And definitely Enjoy!
This recipe is copied with permission from FoodiesUnite
Original Post:
Lamb Marinated in Meyer Lemon and Fennel Pollen – Foodies Unite