Roast lamb and cauliflower rice

Ohhhh.  Yes, that is the sound of pleasure I'm making after this dinner.   I still have the lingering taste of rosemary and garlic and I'm not in any hurry to stop it. 

I was making the weekly menu of chicken, steak, chicken and more chicken when I thought, "NO!  I need, no, I DESERVE something fantastic."  I thought pork, fish...eh...something special that I don't have often.   And then it hit me!  Lamb!  More specific - a leg of lamb.  After staring at our finances and realizing that even though I'm spending a ton of money of whole foods that we are spending less money overall and that yes, we can afford this, I packed the hubby off on a three store search for my lamb.  

Yup, three.  I guess Utahns don't eat lamb.  I can understand why.  $$  Plus there's Mary's little one.  I like deer too.  Circle of life.  And I could not be detoured.   Oh sure...we could have gone to Costco and picked up a lamb on steroids, but I only wanted a small one.  And at the third store, there it was.  In all its glory.  All 2.48 lbs.  Boneless leg of lamb.  $10.99/lb.  $27.30.  And worth every penny.

Now what to serve on the side?  Steamed broccoli?  Check.  Cauliflower rice?  Say what?  That's a big check too!  Turned out great! 

Now even though I made this last, I'll start with it first.  Just to help with any confusion.  I found on a couple of websites reference to Cauliflower Rice which is just cauliflower pulsed into a rice-like consistency and then pan fried with whatever you want to put in it.  So no it's not rice.  Just looks like it.   And below is how I did it.

Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Fresh rosemary, to taste (I just used one "twig" I guess you can call it. I have no idea.  Took the leaves off and chopped them up)
• Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

 Instructions

1. Place the cauliflower into a food processor and pulse until it has a grainy rice-like consistency. 
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and onion to the pan and cook until the onion is translucent.
4. Mix in the rosemary and cauliflower.  
5. Season with salt & pepper.
6. Saute for approximately 10-15 minutes.

 I tell you something...it was marvelous.

But now onto the best part!!!!!  I got this recipe from http://paleocomfortfoods.com.   Since I have a smaller roast, I halved everything except for the sliced garlic and lemon.  :)  Then for the minced garlic I used three teaspoons of bottled, pre-minced garlic.

But I will not change a darn thing on this recipe below.  It was medium-rare at 145 degrees.  Oh oh yummy.  It took about 1 hour 15 minutes total (including the 30 at the higher heat.)  Maybe a little longer because I took it out at one point when I thought it was done and then realized I don't know how to read a thermometer.  Even that didn't ruin it!

Leg of Lamb

 

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in leg of lamb (6-8 pounds)
• 2 garlic cloves, slivered
• ¼ cup (6 g) Italian parsley, chopped
• 3 tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
• juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C).
2. Trim the lamb of any excessive fat.
3. Cut about 10 or so ½-1 inch slits in the lamb, and insert the garlic slivers.
4. Combine the parsley, rosemary, garlic and salt in a small bowl and combine well.
5. Squeeze the lemon juice all over the lamb to coat.
6. Using your hands, massage the herb mixture all over the lamb.
7. Place the lamb onto a rack placed within a roasting pan.
8. Cook at 400 for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F (175 C) and cook for about 60-90 more minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 145-150 F (60-65 C).

And here it is!!!  Food Porn!