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Issue Date: March 24, 2002
Passover and Easter -- the feast days many of us are about to celebrate -- call for an important roast on the holiday table. So Pam Anderson whipped out her trusty meat thermometer and investigated these two traditional favorites. Here's what she discovered.
Spring Food Special
Lamb vs. Ham
Lamb: Relax -- it's difficult to ruin this expensive, impressive meat
A fellow cook recently shared the story of his first holiday at the in-laws'. Before he had even set down his bags, his father-in-law took him into the kitchen, slapped a whole leg of lamb onto the counter and declared, "My daughter says you're a great cook, so you're in charge." A little nervous and quite anxious to please, my friend accepted the responsibility. His story ended well -- the roast lamb turned out just fine. "But," he said to me, "it's scary cooking a $40 hunk of meat." He's right.
Happily, I have discovered it is also quite difficult to ruin a leg of lamb. As long as you have a meat thermometer and don't get too distracted, you can roast a leg of lamb at just about any oven temperature -- from a tepid 250 degrees up to a blistering 425. (Good to know in case you ever need to speed up or slow down the roasting time.)
Each kind of heat has its pros and cons. A slow (250- to 325-degree) oven delivers a juicy, evenly cooked, tender leg of lamb, but it also results in a rather anemic-looking roast that lacks a dark flavorful crust. Leg of lamb roasted in a moderately hot (350- to 425-degree) oven results in quite the opposite -- a roast that's attractive and flavorful, but dry and unevenly cooked. After experimenting with several legs of lamb at varying oven temperatures, I've found you don't have to sacrifice one for the other. It's possible to roast leg of lamb to crusty, juicy, rosy perfection.
To achieve the ideal, I favor a two-step process. I've found that a trip under the broiler before the roasting begins is the simplest, most effective way to brown the lamb. Because of the lamb's long, awkward shape, browning it on the stovetop is too cumbersome, and starting it in a 500-degree oven doesn't color it nearly as well. After the broiler treatment, however, the lamb is ready for low heat -- for me, that's 250 degrees -- which allows the roast to reach doneness slowly and gently. Low heat means the roast will be evenly cooked, juicy, rosy, and tender from surface to bone. Cooked at this low temperature, the lamb's internal temperature does not rise dramatically once it is removed from the oven, nor does it need a long rest before carving. Simply let it sit for five minutes or so, then carve.
I usually allow about four hours to slow-roast a leg of lamb this way. If it gets done too soon, just turn down the oven to 170 to 200 degrees, where the roast can be held a couple of hours. If it's not getting done quickly enough, raise the temperature to 300 degrees.
Buying the right leg of lamb and having it prepared is equally important. Depending on the grocery store or butcher, you may find American, Australian or New Zealand varieties. I suggest seeking out U.S.-raised lamb. It's cornfed the last few months of its life, so it's markedly more tender than its chewy outback kin and is meaty and flavorful without tasting gamy.
Before purchasing the leg, make sure the butcher has trimmed it so that only spotty patches of surface fat remain. The roast will carve more simply, cook more evenly and look more attractive if you instruct the butcher to remove the aitch, or hipbone, then uniformly tie the roast. More than likely, lamb in the meat case already has been prepared that way. If you're uncertain, however, simply ask. Most butchers are happy to please a savvy cook.
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Foolproof Roast Leg of Lamb With Rosemary-Garlic Rub
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours
1/4 cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
(about 2 to 3 Tbs.)
2 1/2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary (or substitute 1 Tb. ground cumin and 2 tsps. dried oregano)
1 leg of lamb, 7 to 8 pounds, trimmed of fat (see text for details)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Mix oil, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary in a small bowl. Spread the paste over both sides of the lamb and let it stand 1 to 2 hours to give the meat a chance to come to room temperature.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat broiler on high for 10 minutes. Place lamb, bottom side up, on a large wire rack set over a foil-lined roasting pan. Broil, moving pan around to ensure lamb browns as evenly as possible, 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn lamb and continue to broil, moving pan around, until well-browned on the other side, about 8 minutes longer. (Don't worry if spice paste appears charred in some places.)
Turn oven to 250 degrees and insert a meat thermometer -- unless you're using an instant-read thermometer -- into thickest portion of lamb, making sure it does not hit a bone. Roast until meat thermometer registers 135 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Remove lamb from oven. Let stand for 5 minutes. Carve, arranging slices on a serving platter. Sprinkle with salt, and serve with lemon wedges for guests to squeeze over the lamb.
Serves: 8 to 10.
Per 3-ounce serving: 179 calories, 24g protein, 0g carbohydrates, 8g fat (2g saturated), 0g fiber, 304mg sodium.
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And the next day ...
Three ideas for leftover lamb:
Large chunks (but not thin slices) microwave well for a second meal.
Build Mediterranean-style sandwiches: Stuff lamb into pita bread along with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and plain yogurt.
Bake a shepherd's pie by adding lamb to cooked vegetables and topping with a mashed-potato crust.
Gentle roasting at a mere 250 degrees will result in a leg of lamb that's rosy, juicy, evenly cooked and tender to the bone.
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Ham: The secret is selecting the right type with a little fat on it
I love the ease and convenience of spiral-cut hams, but they're almost too predictable. From the most elegant brunch to a casual potluck, these hams have become the knee-jerk party solution.
It's clear why spiral-cut ham is so popular. Simply make sure that it's thawed, remove it from its wrappings and set it on a platter. Add a bowl of prewashed baby greens with a nice dressing, a basket of bakery rolls and a cutting board of cheeses, and you can instantly feed half the community. Often that's all we have time for and all that's required.
Convenience, however, comes with a price. Spiral-cut hams don't reheat well. When warmed in the oven, the quality of a presliced ham spirals downward. There is a solution: For a change this holiday, buy a bone-in, wet-cured ham that has not been spiral cut. These hams are shockingly inexpensive and can be scored, glazed and baked to dark, glossy perfection.
Choosing a bone-in, wet-cured ham (as opposed to a dry-cured country ham) can be confusing. Inspect the ham case, and you'll probably find several styles. All wet-cured hams are injected with brine (a mix of water, salt, sweetener and sodium nitrite or nitrate for color). Depending on the quantity of brine injected, the hams are labeled (from driest to moistest) "ham with natural juices," "ham with added water" and "ham and water product." The driest -- "ham with natural juices" -- contains only the amount of liquid necessary to bring the ham back to its pre-cooked weight, usually 1% or 2%. "Ham with water added" contains 10% more brine than its precooked weight, while bone-in "ham and water product" contains up to 23% more liquid.
After cooking all three styles, I generally prefer "ham with water added." That style contains just enough added moisture to keep the ham from drying out in the oven.
For the classic ham shape, choose the shank end. For more tender meat and fewer bones, select the butt end. Whichever you get, look for one that's got some surface fat. Otherwise, it's impossible to score the ham (scoring means cutting through the fat to form a pattern, traditionally diamond-shaped, on the ham's surface), and a glaze won't easily adhere during baking. A modest amount of fat also improves the ham's flavor and texture dramatically.
A gentle 250-degree oven temperature allows the roast to warm evenly, ensuring that the outside of the ham does not overcook and dry out before the interior warms up. And at that low temperature, there's no chance for the sweet glaze to overcook and burn.
To start, I bake the ham about an hour, until the diamond pattern in the scored fat becomes pronounced. Then, I brush the ham with a glaze thick enough to adhere to nooks and crannies. I shove the ham back into the oven and forget about it until it's done, three or four hours later.
Of course, the majority of wet-cured hams are fully cooked before they ever hit the oven (and in the rare case that they're not, they're clearly marked on the label). I generally roast them to 140 degrees, at which point the ham is fully heated but still moist, the surface fat has crisped up, and the sweet glaze has become one with the ham.
Scoring the ham and assembling the glazes takes less than 15 minutes. Except for the three minutes you'll need to brush on the glaze, the ham is virtually maintenance-free.
One final advantage of a bone-in, wet-cured ham: Its aroma during roasting is seductive. When guests walk through the door, they immediately know that someone has taken some time (they don't have to know how little) and that this is no ordinary occasion.
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Classic Glazed Ham
Prep time: 12 minutes
Cooking time: 4 to 5 hours
1 bone-in ham half, 7 to 9 pounds, "with water added" and with as much surface fat as possible (if rind covers a portion of the ham, slit the rind with a small sharp knife, then pull to remove, leaving fat intact)
Glaze (see recipes below)
Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Remove any tough rind (but not fat) from ham with a sharp knife. Starting at cut end of ham, score fat with the knife to create a diamond pattern on the ham's surface. Line a shallow roasting pan with a sheet of foil. Place ham, cut surface down, on a wire rack set over foil-lined pan. Bake ham until scored fat is very visible, about 1 hour.
Remove ham from oven and brush surface with the entire glaze. Return ham to oven; bake until meat thermometer inserted deep into the ham's center registers 140 degrees, 3 to 4 hours longer, depending on ham's internal temperature at the start of roasting. (Total roasting time is 4 to 5 hours, or about 30 minutes per pound.)
Remove from oven. Let rest 5 minutes. Carve and serve.
Serves: 10 to 12, with leftovers.
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Cranberry-Dijon Glaze
1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce, mashed with a fork
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. sweet sherry or port or 2 tsps. red wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside until ready to glaze ham.
Per 3-ounce serving of glazed ham: 177 calories, 19g protein, 6g carbohydrates, 7g fat (2g saturated), 0g fiber, 1,320mg sodium.
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Pineapple Glaze With Ginger and Cloves
1 cup thawed pineapple juice concentrate (undiluted)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Bring pineapple concentrate, ginger and cloves to boil in small saucepan. Simmer until thick and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside until ready to glaze ham.
Per 3-ounce serving of glazed ham: 172 calories, 19g protein, 5g carbohydrates, 7g fat (2g saturated), 0g fiber, 1,276mg sodium.
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And the next day ...
One definition of eternity: two people and a ham! Here are some ways to speed through the leftovers.
Use the flavorful bone and odd pieces in bean or split-pea soup.
Fold bits of ham into omelets, quiches and other egg dishes.
Mince finely and turn into a ham loaf or ham salad.
Use the nicest slices in sandwiches or ham biscuits.
Shockingly inexpensive and a crowd pleaser
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| How each fares |
| LAMB |
HAM |
| Cook's time investment: |
| 15 minutes' work, 5 hours of waiting |
| Cost for 8-pound cut |
| $35 to $40 |
$13 to $17 |
| Serve it to ...: |
| A discerning crowd that appreciates its complex, rich taste |
A mixed crowd of adults and kids who love its mild/sweet/salty taste |
| Great with ...: |
| Roasted new potatoes, potato gratin, mashed potatoes, couscous with fruit and nuts, sautéed cherry tomatoes or baked stuffed tomatoes, baby peas, creamed spinach |
Scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, corn pudding, cheese grits, curried baked fruit, green beans, sautéed baby carrots, asparagus |
 Find the perfect recipes to fill out your feast -- Pam Anderson's asparagus, mashed potatoes and strawberry tarts -- in the CookSmart archives.
Also see:
Firehouse traditions, sharing a meal
Goodbye to gadgets
Enter to win dinnerware
Photo by DEBORAH FEINGOLD for USA WEEKEND
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