I love fall. Brisk mornings and moderate temperatures. The smell of the heater kicking on for the first time in months. Most of all, I love the comfort food that fall brings. Especially the early fall, when we have a bounty of fresh vegetables and aren't afraid of the house getting too hot to roast them in a warm oven for dinner.
Last night I decided I was in the mood for Lamb. When I was at the Feast of Portland I ran into the folks from American Lamb, who were handing out samples of their Lamb Rub. A wonderful mix of Rosemary, Mustard Seed, Sea Salt, Pepper and other spices that is the easiest preperation I have ever had for lamb.
I paired the lamb with a fall favorite around our house, what I call my Fall Sweet Potato Mix. An oven-roasted mix of sweet potatoes, yams, and apples coated in seasoning salt and cinnamon. Super simple and a delicious piece of Fat Boy Heaven.
Lamb
Have your butcher butterfly and tie a leg of lamb (this removes the bone and trims up some of the fat)
Coat lamb roast with olive oil, then apply spice rub (as stated, I used American Lamb's 'Lamb Rub')
Roast in oven at 450 for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 and continue to roast for 45-55 minutes or until internal temp reaches 140 degrees
Fall Sweet Potato Mix
3 medium Sweet Potatoes (yellow)
2 Large Yams (orange)
2 medium apples (I prefer a pie-crisp or Braeburn)
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons seasoning salt
1/8 cut olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cut vegetables up into equal sized chunks. I usually trim the yam and slice it, then cut the slices in half or quarter them depending on how rough I want the texture to look.
Combine cut vegetables in a 1-gallon zip lock bag.
Add oil and shake to coat evenly
Add spices and shake until well coated
Arrange around meat or on baking sheet and bake until tender