Recipe: Lamb with Potatoes, Sage and Peccorino

Recipe Source: Wolfert, Paula.  The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen.  John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, 2003 pp. 216-7

Hopefully things will have changed by the time this recipe gets posted, but as of this writing, the Boston area has been suffering from an incredibly cold, soggy and unpleasant June.  I don't think we've gotten out of the sixties all month, and I'd be surprised if we broke sixty degrees at all this week.  My poor dog, who is clearly made of sugar, refuses to set foot out of the house when it's raining.  This has made for a very bored puppy, and occasionally a very anxious one.  We're normally grilling and barbequing fools, using our Big Green Egg even in the middle of a blizzard (we've got pictures to prove it.)  However, grilled food doesn't look quite so appealing when you've got neighborhood wildlife marching two-by-two for the nearest boat. 

Slow-cooked indoor food is perfect for cold, soggy Sundays, so this recipe jumped out at me when I was doing my menu planning.  Despite the looooooooooooooong time it takes to make this (over 5 hours!), it's actually a pretty simple and easy recipe.  I did make some changes, as usual.  The meat was more than a little short, but that was okay.  I didn't have fresh fennel and couldn't find the fennel seed, so I substituted sage.  This worked quite well, if I do say so.  I also didn't have dried garlic, so I used a bulb of green garlic that I picked up at the farmers' market.  It also worked very well, which was a pleasant surprise as I'd never used green garlic before.  Some of the changes I made were procedural.  The result was a very delicious kind of gratin type dish.  Both we and our guests really enjoyed it. 

I will give you this warning, though.  Cleaning the pan afterwards will be a royal pain.  Trust me on this and run out to buy some steel wool right now. 

Lamb with Potatoes, Sage and Pecorino (serves 4; approx. $6.19/serving)

1 1/2 pounds leg of lamb, cut into chunks

2 cups whole milk

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 bulb green garlic, sliced

2 1/2 pounds Red Bliss or other boiling potatoes, thinly sliced

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, sliced

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

3/4 cup pecorino or other aged sheep's milk cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

Equipment:

• Bowl
• Zip-top plastic bag
• Large, shallow, flame-and-oven-proof pan

1. Combine the milk, sage, bay leaves, rosemary and garlic in the bowl.
2. Put the lamb in the plastic bag.  Pour the milk over the lamb and refrigerate at least 3 hours. 
3. About 2 1/2 hours before serving, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
4. Remove the lamb from the marinade.  Reserve the marinade. 
5. Put the potato slices in the bowl and pour the marinade on top of them.  Let sit at least 15 minutes.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the pan. 
7. Add the onion and saute until pale golden.
8. Add the lamb and slowly brown on all sides.  Remove the lamb from the pan temporarily and season with salt and pepper. 
9. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a bowl, scraping up any browned crunchy bits form the bottom. 
10. Add the remaining olive oil and remove from heat. 
11. Drain the potatoes, again reserving the marinade. 
12. Arrange half the slices on the bottom of the pot. 
13. Cover with the meat and onion mixture in a single layer.
14. Add the parsley.
15. Add half the bread crumbs and half the cheese.
16. Layer the rest of the potatoes on top of that. 
17. Scatter the remaining bread crumbs and cheese on top of this potato layer.
18. Pour the milk mixture over all of it. 
19. Return the pan to heat and bring to a slow boil, about 15 minutes.
20. Bake 15 minutes.
21. Lower the heat to 325 degrees and bake another 1 1/4 hour.
22. Turn off the heat.  Let sit in the oven another half hour.
23. Serve warm. 

Comments

[Angie's Recipes]

Never had those before, it looks very interesting. Like those crispy garlic fritters on top.

Angie's Recipes

[Marta]

Delicious and hearty lamb and potatoes is good to comfort anyone's rainy day!!
I love the peccorino in here, nice and nutty, must pair so well with the soft, rich lamb

[Fearless Kitchen]

Marta - they really did go well together. The smell of the cooking food really did a lot to brighten up the day.

Angie - thanks!