A few weeks ago I received an email asking me if I would like to participate in a recipe contest for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival with the winner receiving an all access pass to the festival in March. I, of course, said yes, because I love a good challenge (and I love South Carolina).
The contest is called Lambs & Clams and each participant receives one or the other over the coarse of 4 months, or as I just found out, both for the last challenge. A couple of weeks go by and a giant box appears on my doorstep. Inside…a leg of lamb from Border Springs Farm . A gorgeous leg of lamb that was almost too amazing to eat. Next up, figure out what to do with it. Because of the size of the leg, I decided to break it down to make 2 different meals. We had it roasted with fresh horseradish & roasted garlic and it was incredible. But wait, there’s more. Tonight, we had the roulade pictured above and it was….unbelievable. Like, lick the plate, unbelievable…and it was not hard to make at all and took less than an hour from start to devouring.
I hope you enjoy following along this contest with me. There will be voting on Charleston Wine + Food Facebook page, so I encourage you to go vote for your faves (hopefully that’s me). Let’s go make some deliciousness.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. First up is the Duxelles. It sounds really fancy, right? If you’ve ever made (or eaten) Beef Wellington, duxelles is the mushroom mixture between the beef and the puff pastry crust. Typically it is minced mushrooms, but I decided I wanted more texture so I kept the mushrooms more diced than minced. They are cooked in shallots, butter, garlic and rosemary and I will warn you that you should not get a spoon out to test. This is my public service announcement.
All great meat dishes deserve a drizzle of jus, so I whipped up a simple Tawny Port jus with rosemary, shallots and butter. So easy and I proclaimed I would make a martini with the leftovers. It’s delish. Did I mention easy? Ok, moving on.
Butterfly a 2 lb piece of Lamb. Layer between parchment and pound it with a kitchen mallet until it’s about 3/4 inch thick.
Season the inside with salt and pepper and add the duxelles. Roll it up like a cinnamon roll and tie with kitchen twine. If some of the duxelles falls out, stuff it back in.
Heat up the same pan you made the duxelles and the jus in and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Season the outside of the roulade with salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan. Sear on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, just until browned. If the pan you are using is oven-safe, then add the pan to the oven, if not, transfer the roulade to a small rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove and cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice into 1 1/2 inch thick slices and serve over mashed potatoes or parsnip puree. Drizzle the jus over and around and serve.
Lamb Roulade with Mushroom Duxelles & Tawny Port Jus
Ingredients
- Duxelles
- 1 pound button mushrooms cleaned & small diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup minced shallot
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Tawny Port Jus
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup minced shallots
- 1 large sprig rosemary
- 750 ml Tawny Port
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Roulade
- 2 pounds leg of lamb boneless, butterflied
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Duxelles: In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the liquid has evaporated and the pan becomes dry, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and butter and stir until butter is melted. Remove from the pan to a bowl and cool completely.
- Port Jus: In the same large saute, add 1 tablespoon butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and saute until they become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the bottle of wine & rosemary and turn the heat to high. Boil until the wine has reduced by half. Add the beef stock and continue to boil until the mixture has reduced by half (about 2 cups total remaining). Strain the liquid through a fine meshed sieve into a clean small saucepan. Return to medium heat and add the butter and stir until melted. Turn to low to keep warm.
- Roulade: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the butterflied lamb between 2 pieces of heavy parchment paper or plastic wrap. Pound until it's about 3/4 inches thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with the duxelles. Roll from the wide end into a roll. Tie with kitchen twine to secure. Using the same large saute (or an ovenproof large frying pan) heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the roulade and brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and drizzle with the Port Jus and serve.
Nutrition
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Recipe By:
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.
