Best Yogurt Braised Leg Of Lamb Recipes

GRILLED YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon Tabil Spice Blend, and 1 minced garlic clove in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Whisk remaining 1 cup yogurt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons Tabil Spice Blend, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp. salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add lamb; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally.
• Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Grill until meat is cooked to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill lemon halves, cut side down, until charred, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice lamb against the grain and arrange on a platter; garnish with lemons. Serve with reserved yogurt sauce.

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

LAMB BRAISED IN YOGURT WITH ONIONS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Put the lamb in a large self-sealing plastic bag. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and add to the bag. Marinate the lamb for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, let come to room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding.
• Prepare a medium heat fire (325°F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.
• Drain the meat and pat dry. Rub it with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper.
• Roast the garlic, tomatoes, and poblano chiles in a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat until the skins are toasted and blistered. Transfer to a plate and let cool to the touch. Peel and seed the tomatoes and chiles. Finely chop all.
• Heat the olive oil in a nonreactive skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions, cumin, red pepper flakes, allspice, and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables and vinegar, then place the lamb on top of the mixture. Add 1 1/2 cups of the stock. Spoon some of the onion mixture over the lamb. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables have melted slightly.
• In a separate bowl, combine the drained yogurt and cornstarch. Stir the remaining stock and the drained yogurt mixture into the lamb. Cover and return to the oven to cook for another 30 minutes, or until the lamb is fork-tender. The sauce will look curdled at this point. Transfer the lamb to a plate and use a hand blender to smooth the sauce, then return to medium heat, uncovered, to thicken, about 15 minutes. Add the braised lamb, cover with some of the sauce and return to the oven, uncovered, to heat through.
• Serve the lamb hot over couscous, topped with the sauce and garnished with parsley.

BONED LEG OF LAMB WITH YOGURT

Steps:

• Put lamb in a heavy plastic bag. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour into the bag. Seal closely, squeeze to coat the meat completely and allow to marinate at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, turning and squeezing the bag several times.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove lamb from bag, place in roasting pan and pour all the marinade over the meat. Bake at 500 degrees for 1/2 hour.
• Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Turn meat over and baste with marinade in pan. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour more, or till done to taste. Serve with defatted pan juices.

BALSAMIC-BRAISED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Cut the leg of lamb into 4 even pieces.
• Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in an 8-quart stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lamb pieces and bones all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches (to not overcrowd the pot), sear the meat and bones in the hot oil until well browned on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside. Pour off excess oil from the pot and then add the garlic, fennel, jalapenos, onions and red bell peppers. Sweat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the beef stock and balsamic vinegar. Add the seared lamb and bones back the pot, close the pressure cooker and cook on low heat until fork tender, 45 minutes.
• Remove the lamb from the braising liquid and pull into large chunks. Remove the bones from the pot, and discard. Strain the braising liquid and then add it back to the pot. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Turn off the heat, add the lamb back to the pot and spoon the reduced liquid over the top to glaze. Keep warm until ready to serve.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB WITH SPICY LIME YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat lamb dry with paper towels and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. In a bowl, combine oil, herbs, orange zest and juice, the minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over lamb. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if you like.
• Heat the grill. Wipe lamb with paper towels, removing most of the rub, then grill until a digital thermometer reads 120 degrees for rare or 130 for medium (about 6 to 15 minutes per side, depending on how you like your meat and how thick the lamb is). If the meat starts to char before it's done, move it to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving with the yogurt sauce.

GREEK YOGURT-HONEY BRAISED LAMB

Steps:

• Combine the lamb meat with the sea salt and Greek oregano, allow to rest, covered at room temperature, for one hour.
• Add all the remaining ingredients except the water or stock and combine well.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• Add the liquid and bake in a covered casserole at 350°F for approximately 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
• Remove and serve.

YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB WITH CARDAMOM AND ORANGE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425º. Remove as much of the surface fat as is practical from the lamb. Mix together the yogurt, mint, orange zest, cardamom, salt and pepper; rub the meat all over with the yogurt mixture. If you have time, let the lamb sit for an hour or more (refrigerate if it will be much longer).
• Put the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. (You might line the pan first with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.) Roast for 30 minutes, then check; if the lamb threatens to burn, turn the heat down to 350º; otherwise leave it at 425º.
• After about 1 hour (total) of roasting, check the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant-read thermometer. Continue to check every 10 minutes; when it reaches 130 for medium rare (125 for very rare) in its thickest part (check it in several places), it's done. Total cooking time will be less than 1 1/2 hours. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving. Serve garnished with more chopped mint.