Eating certain foods on holidays often has its roots in religion. Lambs being a symbol of Easter is no exception. The significance of lambs in Christianity dates back to the Old Testament. In Genesis, Abraham was willing to do as God asked and sacrifice his son. When the Lord saw that Abraham would obey Him, God allowed Abraham to sacrifice a lamb instead of his own son. When Christ died on the cross for our sins, He became the sacrificial lamb. Sacrificing a lamb to God symbolized a way for man to atone for his sins. Christians still commemorate Jesus’s sacrifice for us by eating lamb on Easter in remembrance of this selfless act. Our Easter dinner this weekend will be lamb.

In the past, I’ve posted a basic Minted Lamb Chops for Easter and also an Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb. For this one, we taste-tested (and enjoyed) some lamb with a red wine sauce. Pockets are sliced into the meat before it is cooked. The pockets are stuffed with fresh rosemary sprigs and garlic, allowing these flavors to deeply penetrate the meat. It takes a bit longer to roast a leg of lamb than it does to cook some lamb chops, but the full bodied flavor of the red wine and raspberry sauce make it worth the wait.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce (adapted from diabeticlivingonline.com)  Serves: 10 to 12  Prep Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pound leg of lamb
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 6 garlic cloves, quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
• 5 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Using a paring knife, cut 24 1/2-inch-wide pockets about 1 inch deep in the meat at 1-inch intervals. Place the meat, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Season the lamb with lemon-pepper seasoning and some salt. Pull small bunches of leaves from the rosemary sprig. Push slivers of garlic and the rosemary leaves into the pockets in the meat. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat.

Push rosemary leaves & garlic slivers into the slits.

Roast the lamb, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 2 to 2 1/4 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 140º F for medium-rare doneness or 155º F for medium doneness. Cover the lamb and let it stand for 15 minutes before carving. (The meat’s temperature will rise 5 degrees during standing time.)

Allow the lamb to rest before slicing.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, in a medium saucepan cook the shallots in 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat until it is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the preserves until they are melted. Stir in the wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil it gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened and and reduced to 1 1/3 cups. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper.

Make the raspberry wine sauce.

Serve the sauce warm with the lamb.

Serve the sauce on the side.

Lamb is a wonderfully flavorful Easter tradition!  ~Linda

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Red Wine-Shallot Sauce (adapted from diabeticlivingonline.com)  Serves: 10 to 12  Prep Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pound leg of lamb
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 6 garlic cloves, quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
• 5 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Using a paring knife, cut 1/2-inch-wide pockets about 1 inch deep in the meat at 1-inch intervals.  Place the meat, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Season the lamb with lemon-pepper seasoning and some salt. Pull small bunches of leaves from the rosemary sprig. Push slivers of garlic and the rosemary leaves into the pockets in the meat. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat.

Roast the lamb, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 2 to 2 1/4 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 140º F for medium-rare doneness or 155º F for medium doneness. Cover the lamb and let it stand for 15 minutes before carving. (The meats temperature will rise 5 degrees during standing time.)

Meanwhile, for the sauce, in a medium saucepan cook the shallots in 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat until it is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the preserves until they are melted. Stir in the wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil it gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened and and reduced to 1 1/3 cups. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Serve the sauce warm with the lamb.