Braised Lamb

A few times a year I make lamb, one of those times being Easter Sunday. I have done it for so many years now, it's almost obligatory. In fact, last year when I tried to change it up and make salmon for Easter, my husband and my friend Rich, who always joins us for Easter with his girls, all gave me a shocked "you're kidding, right Shel” stare? This year I offered salmon for Easter just to irritate them and they didn't even respond, just kept right on talking like I wasn't even there. Alright boys, lamb it is! I am convinced that no matter how much lamb I prepare, it would almost all be gone by the end of our dinner. It's that good and that easy and it's made in the crock pot! This year I put it in the slowest slow cooker I have, letting it simmer away all night and the next morning while we were at church. The result was lamb that literally fell apart as I took it out of the crock pot. I put it on a big platter, shredded that bad boy up and poured some of the drippings on top. I served it with roasted asparagus and quinoa tabbouleh (a fresh counterpoint). Lamb also pairs well with a wider variety of wines than most proteins, as if you could really go wrong in the wine department anyway. So give lamb a try; I promise it's not scary and satisfies your red meat craving with a little game-y twinge thrown in.

Braised Lamb

1 (3-4 lb.) boneless leg of lamb
Salt and Pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem and minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large lemon, zested and juiced

Place the lamb in a 6 qt. crock pot and season liberally with salt and pepper. Combine the minced rosemary, garlic and lemon zest in a small bowl then rub all over the lamb. Pour the lemon juice over the lamb, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. Shred with two forks and serve.

14 servings (381 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com