Leg of Lamb

How to roast a leg of lamb...Start with farm fresh, pasture raised lamb in your area. You are in for a real treat! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

This is about a 7 pound leg of lamb, defrosted and pulled from the refrigerator about an hour before putting into the oven. This allows meat fibers to relax, which makes the meat even more tender!

Rinse with cool water, pat dry and place into an oven proof pan fatty side up.

Season all over with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and then make little one inch slices into the meat and push a clove of garlic into the hole. Do this 10 more times so that there are 11 or 12 cloves of garlic embedded into the roast.

Close up of the clove of garlic. Then season a little more over the top of the garlic with Italian seasoning blend. Place 2 sprigs of rosemary next to the roast and peel the rest of the head of garlic and scatter around the roast. Put into hot oven and set timer for 20 minutes. When timer sounds, reduce heat to 340 degrees and slow roast the leg of lamb for another 2-2 1/2 hours.

Use a reliable meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If you like your meat rare, remove as soon as thermometer reaches 145 degrees. We removed this leg of lamb at 165 degrees and let it rest as the finishing touches were put on the rest of the meal. There was plenty of pink in the roast and it was so tender and juicy.

Served here with mashed potatoes and sauteed leeks, roasted carrots and parsnips, coleslaw with peas, deviled eggs and a family favorite for generations, Yorkshire Pudding. Enjoy with family and friends! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2014!

Welcome! We are Shamrockin' the Farm!

Couldn't resist adding the seed catalog to the festivities!

Tower of treats from the farm and the Grower's Market. Red potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and Dead On Savoy Cabbage are all perfect crops for wintering over. 

Such pretty cabbage and the super sweet and delicate flavor is perfect for a quick dunk in the corned beef broth or sauteing...butter only!

Irish Chocolate Potato Cake, recipe here.

And, gluten free Chocolate Irish Potato Cupcakes!! Using the same recipe as above only substitute Namaste Gluten Free Flour.

Getting close to dinner time!

Irish Soda Bread:  

3 1/2 Cups flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

1 Cup Golden Raisins

2 Cups Buttermilk or Milk with lemon juice

Combine all dry ingredients and raisins.

Add milk and stir.

Place soft not quite sticky dough on floured counter top.

Knead about 15 times.

Shape into round loaf.

Flatten out.

Using a sharp knife cut a cross in the dough.

Bake at 430' for 20 minutes.

Reduce heat to 400', bake additional 20 minutes.

Remove from oven when thumping the bread sounds hollow.

Let bread rest for 30 minutes before slicing. 

Enjoy! 

Generations of Irish Girls! xo

Dinner is ready. Corned Beef was made following this recipe:

This is a bison brisket. The Irish call this particular cut of beef, the Silverside.

The Great Irishman ready for St. Paddy's Day meal:

Corned Beef

Cabbage

Kale

Boiled potatoes

Carrots

Deviled eggs

Irish Soda Bread

Butter

Apple Butter and

a blessing of thanks.

Feeling lucky to be on the farm with local food on the table.

Purple Velvet Shamrock plant!

Cead Mile Failte!

Rainbows and Golden Eggs

It's March and the Irish Rainbows are already arching over the farm. Our favorite golden nuggets at this time of year are the increase in egg production.

All of the colorful eggs are so delicious and new to our cache is the creamy white and brown speckled egg: a turkey egg! There is always something new happening on the farm!