On a cold winter evening when the world is just…sad there is always good food for comfort. This recipe does it all, and guilt free from a low carb standpoint. Here is one of my favorites. The leftovers from this are awesome in any number of dishes, and it takes only about 1 1/2 hour from start to finish.
- Butterflied leg of lamb, 3 to 4 lbs
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 2 to 3 T olive oil
- 1/2 C parsley leaves
- 1 T fresh rosemary leaves or 1 t dried rosemary
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic chopped or pressed
- 1 t lemon zest
- 1/2 t Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Trim excess fat
from lamb. In a food processor, purée cream cheese, olive oil, parsley,
rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and some salt and pepper.
2. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper on both sides, then
turn so the side that had been on the bone(this will have an irregular
surface), faces up, with the wider end facing you. Smear the surface of lamb
with most of cream cheese mixture, then fold it in half so that it fits
together with cream chesses on the inside. Tie if necessary. Sprinkle with salt
and pepper.
3. Place lamb in roasting pan and cook for 30 to 40 minutes
until rare (130 degrees) or medium rare (135 degrees).
It is best to have the thermometer inserted from the
beginning – do not continually poke any piece of meat you are cooking as it
will leave it dry and tougher.
4. Let rest on cutting board for 1/2 the time it roasted
(this is good practice for any roasted meat) before slicing. Serve with fresh
lemon wedges.