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Executive Chef Eduard Peyer Shares Easter Dinner Recipes For A Truly Celebratory Feast
Easter Sunday will be here before you know it.
It falls on April 17th this year.
Lamb is a very popular menu choice which can be prepared many different ways.
Your presentation might include a whole Lamb on a Spit, roasted Leg of Lamb, single Lamb Chops, Fricassée of Lamb, Frenched Racks, or even an English style boiled Leg of Lamb.
Steamed veggies, such as leeks, turnips, carrots and a creamy horseradish sauce make wonderful sides.
Executive Chef Peyer:
“I was raised in Lucerne, Switzerland. My Mom used to prepare a simple roasted Leg of Lamb for Easter, but only if the entire family was present.
That was not always the case.
I had to work most of the time, my brother went skiing and my sister was no fan of lamb! Hard to believe.
If the family was scattered in different directions, my Dad would take my Mom to an upscale restaurant for a delicious Easter meal and a great bottle of Dôle du Valais, one of the better known Swiss red wines made from Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes.
During my culinary apprenticeship in Engelberg, our Chef featured “Cabris de lait”, young milk fed goat, roasted with fresh rosemary and crushed pepper corns. It was deglazed with a good white wine, then Demi Glaze was added. It made such a wonderful sauce. Fresh vegetables and roasted new potatoes made the rest of the meal.”
Here is a recipe for a delicious roasted Leg of Lamb with roasted potatoes and onions and a Gigot d’agneau Boulangère, Port wine Sauce from Executive Chef Peyer:
Use a medium size Leg of Lamb from your grocery store. You can request it bone in or boneless, rolled and tied.
Ingredients:
Your preferred Leg of Lamb, bone in or boneless, rolled and tied
MIREPOIX
3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in halves
3 large, peeled onions cut in large chunks
4 to 5 peeled and washed carrots cut in large chunks
1 stalk of celery, cut in about 1 inch pieces
Mix Mirepoix with 4 to 5 Bay Leaves
Add a handful of fresh Rosemary, fresh Thyme, fresh or dried Oregano
1/4 cup black Peppercorns
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
SEASONING THE LEG OF LAMB
2 bunches of fresh Basil
6-8 peeled garlic cloves
2 bunches of flat leaf parsley
1 bunch of fresh Rosemary (remove from stems)
1 cup of Virgin Olive Oil
Place ingredients into a blender, pulse and blend until you have a smooth paste
Rub the lamb generously on all sides and let stand for at least one hour
FOR THE ROASTING
Season the lamb with coarse Sea Salt, some crushed black pepper and dried Oregano.
Place into a roasting pan and into a 450 F oven.
Add all of the Mirepoix with some olive oil into roasting pan
Place Leg of Lamb on top of the Mirepoix.
After rotating the leg of lamb a few times until it takes color, reduce the temperature to 350 F
Keep on roasting to an inside temperature of 140 to 145 degree F.
Remove form oven and rest for at least 35 minutes before carving.
PORT WINE SAUCE
Add the cooked Mirepoix to a large sauce pan and place over medium heat.
Deglaze with 3 cups of Port wine and reduce until liquid is evaporated in half.
Strain through a sieve and reduce some more until it has your desired consistency; add 2 ounces of fresh butter and season with some salt if necessary.
BOULANGERE POTATOES
2 pounds of peeled and washed Yukon potatoes
3 medium sized white onions, sliced
Pat potatoes dry with a towel or paper towel
Slice potatoes evenly about ¼ inch thick
Place a roasting pan with ½ cup of vegetable oil into a 375 degree oven
When smoking hot, place all potatoes in roasting pan (be careful with this procedure)
Roast until golden brown by mixing carefully
In a sauté pan slowly caramelize the sliced onions with fresh unsalted butter, stir often!
Bon appetit
