Roman-Style Lamb with Herbs & Peas
If you’re looking for a perfectly tender, perfectly Springtime, perfectly hands-off recipe that presents like a roast, but isn’t a roast (this is v v niche, isn’t it?), then look no further! With a boldly-flavored sauce that’s punctuated with sweet peas and a melange of herbs, this is how you do red meat in the Spring. I like to serve it over polenta made with plenty of parmesan.
But the best part about this recipe (from Melissa Clark’s “Dinner in an Instant”) is that it’s made entirely in an electric pressure cooker! Or, if you’re so inclined, Mrs. Clark has also tested this recipe for the slow-cooker, so you’ve got two hands-off methods to get a holiday meal on the table!
Back to asparagus: This dish is great because it takes mere minutes to cook, has plenty of texture, citrus, and… I guess for lack of a better phrase… “other stuff” going on besides just the asparagus. It’s a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts, and it really just hits that Spring Green Vegetable Spot.
First, you marinate the lamb by rubbing grated garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper all over it. Then you sear the meat using the sauté function on your pressure cooker. After the meat is fully browned all over, you cook leeks, wine, anchovy, red pepper flakes. Return the lamb (and reserved herbs that were used to marinate) to the pot, lock in your lid, and bingo bango you’ve got lamb!
OTHER TIPS/TRICKS TO THIS RECIPE:
Clark calls for boneless lamb shoulder, which is a cut that has lots of connective tissue and tough muscle that melts away and becomes tender after braising/a trip in the pressure cooker. I could only find a boneless leg of lamb, which is much leaner without nearly as much fat/connective tissue, so I cooked it for half the time she calls for in the recipe (and still let pressure release naturally).
Make the lamb portion ahead, but wait to add the peas until you’re about to serve it, so they stay bright green and crisp tender.
Add lemon. I’m a lemon maniac, so I can’t get enough lemon. If you feel like it maybe needs more salt, try some lemon juice first. Then add more salt if you feel like it still needs it.
Herbs galore! I love adding all the herbs. The recipe calls for scallions, mint and tarragon, but you could also add parsley, dill, and basil, if you’ve got ‘em on hand. Basically, make this lamb look like a salad.
Peas please. I did have a bag of frozen peas on hand (always do), but I opted instead to thinly slice sugar snap peas (which are bonkers good in LA right now!). You could do the same with snow peas.
Polenta is a favorite that my mom used to make for us with beef stew (like her dad and grandfather did for her). Gone are the days of standing over the stove whisking molten-lava polenta for 30 minutes straight! There are lots of no-stir methods online that are essentially hands-off. I’ve even heard that the microwave can turn out some decent polenta (the sacrilege). I used the porridge setting on my rice cooker and did a 1:5 ratio of polenta to water.
Cook it Slow. If you’d like to make this in a slow cooker, Clark tested that for you! She recommends you sear the lamb, and sauté the aromatics in a skillet, before transferring everything to the slow cooker. Then cook the lamb on high for 5 to 7 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours, adding the peas during the last 5 minutes.
Roman-Style Lamb with Herbs & Peas
“Perfect for Springtime, this ethereally tender lamb has an intense, heady sauce flecked with herbs and sweet green peas. The anchovies add a saline complexity, but aren't at all fishy. Plus, no one will know they are there if you don’t tell them. Serve this with something–bread, rice, polenta, or a spoon–to scoop up the sauce. It’s quite spectacular and you won’t want to miss a drop.”
- Melissa Clark; “Dinner in an Instant”
Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 ½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder, well trimmed, cut into 2 pieces
9 garlic cloves: 3 finely grated, 6 left whole
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs fresh thyme (lemon thyme is particularly nice here), torn or cut into pieces
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, torn or cut into pieces
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts only), or 1 large onion, diced
1 cup dry white wine
6 oil-packed anchovy fillets
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
Chopped fresh mint and/or more tarragon, for serving
Method:
In a large bowl, toss the lamb with the grated garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and preferably overnight.
Brush the herbs off the lamb and reserve. Using the saute function in the pressure cooker (or a skillet over high heat), heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Once it is hot, add the lamb. Let it brown for 5 to 7 minutes per side, and then transfer the pieces to a plate.
Add another tablespoon of the oil to the pot (or skillet). When it’s hot, add the leeks and smashed garlic cloves, and saute until golden, 3 to 5 minutes (if the pot gets too hot and you can’t lower the heat, turn it off for a few minutes and let the leeks cook in the residual heat to keep them from burning).
Add the wine to the pot (or skillet) and simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until it has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the anchovies and red pepper flakes. Return the lamb and reserved herb sprigs to the pot, cover, and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a serving platter. Use a fat separator to separate the fat from the juices, or just spoon the fat off the top. Taste the sauce, and add more salt and/or a squeeze of lemon as needed. If the sauce is thin, use the saute function to simmer it down.
Stir in the peas and tarragon and simmer on the saute function until the peas are tender (1 to 2 minutes for frozen peas, 2 to 5 for fresh peas). Serve the lamb topped with scallions and mint, and squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
*Notes
COOK IT SLOW: Cook the lamb on high for 5 to 7 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours in a slow cooker, adding the peas during the last 5 minutes. –Dinner in an Instant
