Spiced and Smoked Leg of Lamb With Red Wine Sauce

Michael Fenster MD.  We truly heart him.  Wearing both chef whites and a lab coat, Michael is the star of the cable show “What’s Cooking With Doc”, and has a delicious recipe blog here.  His story is fascinating:  he attended culinary school and worked and managed several restaurant kitchens before attending medical school.   He now is a seasoned Board Certified Interventional Cardiologist, with an ongoing dedicated passion for food.

In this Savory Tv exclusive video for Super Bowl Sunday Easter (we had some video delivery issues!) the Doc shows us how to make a delicious smoked and spiced leg of lamb with rosemary potatoes and red wine sauce.  Prepare the lamb and the spice rub the day before, and execute the remainder the following day.  This recipe is not a simple one, but well worth the time and effort, and would perfect for a special occasion or Easter holiday dinner. We are so thankful that he shared it with us!  Enjoy!

Spiced Leg of Lamb Recipe from Savory Tv on Vimeo.

Smoked Spiced Leg of Lamb with Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Red Wine Reduction Sauce

• 1 semi-boneless leg of lamb, 4-6 pounds
• Butcher’s twine
• Fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

Doc’s South African Five Spice Blend
* 1 oz cinnamon
* 2 oz cumin seed
* 1 oz anise seed
* 2 oz coriander seed
* 1 oz ginger powder

Spice Rub
• ½ cup of chopped yellow onion
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp Doc’s Piri-Piri sauce (optional for a little heat)
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger
• 2 tbsp Doc’s African spice blend (above)

Combine all ingredients and blend in a spice blender. Store in an airtight container
• 1 tbsp Emeril spice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp each allspice, cloves. cardamom
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup olive oil

Rosemary Oven Roasted Potatoes
• 3-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 tbs olive oil (divided in half)
• 1 to 1 ½ pounds fingerling, new or other small roasting potato
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Red Wine Reduction Sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
• 1 cup good red wine like a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir
• ¼ cup (about 1.5 oz) veal demi-glace
• ¾ cup light chicken stock

Place the leg of lamb fat side down.  Split the leg to the bone.  Leaving the bone attached at the mid-point, butterfly the leg. In a food processor combine all the rub ingredients.  Apply the paste to the leg of lamb. Reassemble the leg to its original shape, keeping the bone intact, and secure with butcher’s twine.  Place in a plastic bag and allow to rest overnight.

Prepare your smoker according to directions.  Place the leg of in the smoker and cook until done (about 3 hours), an instant read thermometer should read about 145 degrees F.  Remove and allow to rest. While the lamb is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place half the olive oil in the roasting pan.  Heat the oil with ½ of the rosemary sprigs in the oven for 15 minutes Remove and add the potatoes, tossing in the oil.  Add the remaining oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Top with the remaining rosemary sprigs and roast for another 30-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes or until shallots are translucent and soft. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook for another minutes.  Add the red wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and demi-glace.  Cook until reduced by half. Pass through a sieve to remove any bits.  You should have about 1 cup remaining.  To serve, thinly slice the leg of lamb. Surround with the potatoes, drizzle sauce and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.