Issue Date: March 8, 2009
A one-pan Irish meal
A quick-cooking rack of lamb and veggies stand in for the traditional (and long-simmering) corned beef.
Because St. Patrick's Day falls on a weekday, I won't have hours to make corned beef. But here's an equally satisfying one-dish alternative that draws on classic Irish stew ingredients -- lamb, potatoes and carrots, plus bright-green spinach. And it cooks up much faster -- in minutes, in fact.
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Irish Lamb Dinner
Ingredients:
2 1 1/3-pound racks of lamb, trimmed
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. olive oil
8 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
8 large, peeled whole shallots
2 quarts chicken broth
2 pounds well-washed fingerling potatoes (or small new potatoes)
2 pounds well-washed spinach
Directions:
SET a heavy-bottomed, large roasting pan (or two 12-inch skillets, dividing ingredients equally between them) over two burners on low heat. SEASON lamb generously with salt, pepper and sugar. A couple of minutes before cooking, turn burners on high for gas stoves or medium-high for electric. When wisps of smoke start to rise from the pan(s), turn on exhaust fan and add lamb. SEAR on three sides: fat side down, fat side up to sear the meaty section of bone side, and rack up to sear meaty bottom, about 1 minute per side (because of the sugar, searing happens quickly). Transfer to a plate and set aside. Cut off heat. Carefully POUR off any lamb fat and wipe pan(s) clean with paper towels. Turn heat back on to medium-high and add olive oil to the pan(s). SAUTÉ carrots and shallots until well browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Return lamb to pan(s), reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, covered (fashion sheets of foil into a cover, if using a roasting pan), until vegetables are just tender and the thickest part of the lamb registers 130 degrees on a meat thermometer, 15 to 18 minutes. Leaving broth in pan, TRANSFER vegetables and lamb to a large platter; loosely cover with foil. Add spinach to simmering broth. Cook until wilted but still bright green, 3 to 4 minutes; add to platter. To serve, CARVE meat into individual chops. Pour any broth and SPOON Parsley-Mint Relish over the meat and vegetables.
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Parsley-Mint Relish
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
6 cornichons or baby dill pickles, thinly sliced
1 tsp. pickle juice
1/4 cup drained capers
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
Serves 8
Per serving of lamb, vegetables & relish: 369 calories, 22g protein, 32g carbohydrates, 18g fat (3.6g saturated), 42mg cholesterol, 7g fiber, 873mg sodium
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EXCLUSIVE ONLINE EXTRA RECIPE!
Simple Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1 1/2 tsps. sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour, salt, sugar and baking soda in a large, wide bowl for easy mixing. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until dough resembles shredded cloth. Using hands, knead dough in bowl to quickly form a rough ball. Place dough on a baking sheet, slightly flatten with hands to about a 6-inch circle and use a knife to slash the top of the bread with the characteristic cross or X. Bake until bread starts to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees; continue baking until bread is crisp and golden brown, about 35 minutes longer. Cool slightly, cut in wedges and serve with butter.
Makes 1 8-inch loaf
Per serving, based on 8: 221 calories, 7g protein, 45g carbohydrates, 1g fat (0.3g saturated), 2mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 603mg sodium
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of five cookbooks. Her latest is "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great" (Houghton Mifflin, $35).
Want to know more about finding lamb meat? Click here.
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