STUFFED BREAST OF LAMB

Stuffed breast of lamb image

Provided by Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey

Time 1h30m

Yield Four to six servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Previous Next

2 breasts of lamb with pockets for stuffing
Salt to taste, if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound fresh spinach in bulk or 1 10-ounce package in plastic
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, about 1/4 pound
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon peanut, corn or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon crumbled rosemary leaves
3/4 cup chicken broth

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Sprinkle the breasts of lamb inside and out with salt and pepper.
Pick over the spinach and pull off and discard any tough stems or blemished leaves. Drop the spinach into boiling water to cover and cook one minute. Drain. When cool enough to handle, press the spinach to extract as much excess liquid as possible. Chop finely.
Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and it evaporates. Add the chopped spinach and stir to blend. Let cool slightly. Spoon the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, egg and nutmeg. Blend thoroughly.
Stuff each lamb pocket with equal amounts of the filling, packing it down to almost completely fill the pockets. Sew up the openings of each pocket with string.
Rub the meat all over with oil. Sprinkle both sides with rosemary and place the breasts bone side up on a baking dish.
Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven heat to 400 degrees. Turn the breasts bone side down. Bake 25 minutes. Pour off the fat. Pour the broth into the pan and stir to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes longer.