Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Pistachio Dijon Crust
If you don't want to turn on the oven, you can grill the lambs butterflied flat.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 pound butterflied leg of lamb - remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking
- 1 cup bread crumbs (fresh or panko)
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs - (parsley, thyme, mint, rosemary, oregano, marjoram) Whatever your preference
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts - chopped
- 5 garlic cloves - minced
- 1- 2 tsp chili flakes
- Zest from 2 lemons
- 1 T salt
- 2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
- 2-3 T Dijon mustard
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs, herbs, pistachios, garlic, chili flakes, lemon zest, salt, zest, pepper in a bowl and add the oil. You can also put all these ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times. Place lamb on a sheet pan. Spoon the Dijon mustard over the lamb to cover then pat the crust over the mustard. The lamb will benefit from an overnight marinade if you have the time, however even 3-4 hours would be great too.
Roast lamb for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until desired doneness. Check temperature in the thickest part of the roast - 125 degrees is medium rare.
When the lamb is ready, remove from oven and let rest 15-20 minutes under a tent of foil. Place on cutting board and slice against the grain. Place on serving platter and garnish with fresh herb bundles. Pour the pan drippings in a bowl and serve over meat as well if desired. Serves 8.