This dish was an assignment of the Cooking Italy group, founded by Angela of Spinach Tiger. We are working with Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. More detailed adaptations of the recipes are available from from other members of Cooking Italy, for the lamb and for the potatoes. Check the blog roll to see how others prepared this dish.
The first dish I made was Pan Roasted Lamb with Juniper Berries. I am not a huge fan of lamb, so was going to skip it, but my husband likes lamb and this recipe looked easy – so there you have it, lamb for dinner. First you take some lamb shoulder, on the bone, cut into 3″-4″ pieces. Put it in a heavy iron pot along with 1 tbs. each of chopped carrot and celery and 2 tbs. of chopped onion. Add a cup of dry white wine, 2 cloves of garlic, mashed, a sprig of fresh rosemary (or chopped dried), 1 1/2 tsps. of crushed juniper berries, salt and pepper.
Cook all this on medium heat for about 3 1/2 hours, turning the lamb about every half hour, letting the liquid evaporate the last hour or so. You will wind up with this:
Although the lamb started off stewing in a liquid broth and looking gray, it ended up beautifully browned. The juniper berries seem to have tamed that lamb taste that I don’t generally care for. The meat was falling-off-the-bone, no-knife-needed tender. I expanded my culinary horizons and as a result, my husband and I were both rewarded with a delicious meal.
The accompanying dish of Sliced Potatoes Baked with Porcini and Fresh Cultivated Mushrooms, Riviera Style was also easily prepared. Sliced potatoes (I used Yukon Golds), sliced white mushrooms, reconstituted dried porcini mushrooms, olive oil, chopped garlic and parsley, fresh pepper. Bake together until potatoes are done. Great fall dish, we both enjoyed this one also. If you are cooking on a budget, I think that if you omitted the pricey porcini, the dish would be a little different, but still fabulous.
Please bear with me as I try to catch up with jewelry, puppies and cooking!
Your potatoes and lamb look divine!! You did a marvelous job! I’m glad the mellowed flavors in this dish worked well for you! Yay! I think your potatoes are the prettiest I’ve seen…and more what I expected so far.
Welcome back~hugs and condolences.
Great job. I think its fun to try recipes that expand our culinary horizons. Even better when you end up liking it. I think you could do a lot of variations with the potato dish that omit the dried mushrooms.
Thank you ladies! You are both too kind, but I’ll take what I can get, in terms of compliments
My mom makes a potato dish similar to this – with lemon! It’s a bit more roasted and very delicious. I have cooked two lamb dishes from ESSENTIALS and have enjoyed both – that’s a first!
Yum!
The lamb is so hard to photograph, but you did a good job showing how nicely browned, etc., that it became. I need to make this, just been putting it off as not sure the guys will all like. Your post has given me inspiration to try. The pototo dish looks wonderful, I did make that and we all liked it, but next time I am using Yukon Golds like you did as yours just looks that much richer and tastier for just using those alone! Great job.