BREAST OF LAMB STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS

Breast of Lamb Stuffed With Mushrooms image

Provided by Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey

Time 1h10m

Yield Four to six servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

2 breasts of lamb, each about 2 1/4 pounds, with a pocket for stuffing
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/4 pound mushrooms, finely chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon chopped dried thyme
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt to taste, if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon corn, peanut or vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and cut in half or quartered

Steps:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
The pockets for stuffing the breasts should be as deep as possible. If you want to increase the depth, run a long knife inside the pockets and make the pockets deeper without cutting through the meat. Set aside.
Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they give up their liquid. Cook until the liquid evaporates. Add half of the thyme and stir.
Put the ground lamb in a mixing bowl and add the mushroom mixture, half of the parsley and the egg. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff the pocket of each breast with the meat mixture, pushing it in compactly from the opening to the rear of each pocket.
Using a trussing or other needle, sew up the opening of each breast to hold the stuffing. Sprinkle each breast all over with salt and pepper. Place the breasts meaty side up in a baking dish and brush with oil. Scatter the halved or quartered onion around the breasts.
Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue baking 15 minutes.
Pour off the fat from around the meat. Sprinkle the remaining one-quarter cup of chopped parsley and the remaining one-half teaspoon thyme over the breasts. Dot with the remaining two tablespoons butter.
Return the breasts to the oven and bake five minutes longer. Remove string. Serve carved in four to six pieces.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 879, UnsaturatedFat 32 grams, Carbohydrate 7 grams, Fat 65 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 64 grams, SaturatedFat 28 grams, Sodium 1177 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams