Thanks to two very hands-off methods for the lamb and polenta, this is an excellent choice for a dinner party.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
Lamb roast:
Polenta:
Beans and assembly:
For lamb roast:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Blend basil and oil in a food processor until smooth. Place lamb in a roasting pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and rub basil purée all over. Cover with foil, and cook until fork-tender, 3-3 1/2 hours. Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Remove foil and roast lamb until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes. Pour pan juices into a measuring cup and skim; set jus aside.
For polenta:
Step 2
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Mix thyme, shallot, garlic, polenta, cream, and 3 cups broth in a 13x9x2" baking dish; season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake, without stirring, until polenta is softened and liquid is almost completely absorbed, 60-75 minutes. Thin polenta with more broth, if needed.
For beans and assembly:
Step 3
Bring sugar, vinegar, chili paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add half of leeks, reduce heat, and simmer until soft, 8-10 minutes. Drain; set leeks aside.
Step 4
Wipe out saucepan. Cook bacon over medium heat until fat renders and bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Add remaining uncooked leeks to saucepan and cook, stirring often, until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add beans, bacon, and reserved boiled leeks and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Untie lamb and thinly slice. Divide polenta among bowls. Top with lamb, beans, and herbs; drizzle with jus.
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Reviews (3)
Back to Top好吧,我马de this last night and it was tremendous, tremendous, tremendous. First, thanks to everyone who leaves reviews on this site because it makes such a huge difference. I served a Pinot Noir like another reviewer. I asked the butcher to trim gristle but still had a minor meltdown when I cut into the roast before the dinner and saw the thick veins of fat and center of fat on the cut. Luckily my husband volunteered to carve out the lean from the fat and we served not thinly sliced but on top of the polenta and beans in chunks. The pan drippings when you pour them in the separator are amusingly green from the basil. What I loved about this recipe was that I could sit with my guests and enjoy instead of cooking right before dinner and the flavors were interesting and gratifying. I completely forgot the herbs on top - I may have been having too much fun with my guests- but it still got rave reviews. I would make this again.
DomesticExtremist
Cambridge UK
10/12/2014
So I followed the directions exactly and we had a lovely meal. We wanted to open a special bottle of Pinot Noir so we made this menu to go with it. appetizer was smoked salmon with goat cheese and blanched asparagus rolled into cute bites: (lay out the salmon, pat in goat cheese, lay a steamed asparagus lengthwise, roll up and slice crosswise.) Although the basil emulsion goes on over the lamb a beautiful green color, it loses its color after a few minutes of roasting, and becomes a source of flavor only. Go ahead and broiler it at the end, the color and texture improves with this last step. The polenta recipe is fantastic because there's no tedious stirring which requires you to ignore your guests. My only complaint is that the menu looks funny with two blonde dishes (polenta and cannellini beans) with the lamb. Don't ignore the parsley and basil garnish because it adds the color and flavor to balance the plate. I also poured off all the bacon fat in the cannel ini beans and found I needed a tablespoon of butter to blend the flavor and texture. reheats nicely the next day for lunch.
carterpotts
Scotts Valley, CA
9/20/2014
I can't believe I'm the first to review this recipe! I'd torn it out of last fall's BA, and only got around to making it last night. With three caveats - one major, two minor - it's hands-down deliciously awesome! I'll tackle my major issue first: perhaps I'm unfamiliar with lamb shoulder, or perhaps I got one (from my local farmers market) that hadn't been butchered as neatly as it could have, but it was filled with gristle. I will definitely make this again, but perhaps use a different cut of lamb, perhaps even shanks since the recipe demands a braisable cut. I took issue with two other aspects of the recipe as written. The first concerns the direction to uncover the lamb after oven-braising and roast at high heat "until golden brown." Well, the roast is covered with a green basil puree - it's just not going to get "golden brown." If anything, the basil would burn. I did this step but removed from the oven after about 8 minutes, concerned with scorching. The other small adjustment I made was pouring off most of the rendered bacon fat before adding the second half of sliced leeks. I will definitely make this again, and although it did take some time to put together, most of the work was done and my kitchen was clean well before dinnertime, making it (as the recipe indicates) a good choice for a dinner party. All those separate steps, too, result in layers and layers of flavors and tastes that just can't be produced in a simpler recipe.
andie1024
San Rafael, CA
4/3/2014
