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Lamb Gyro Platter
My family’s love for lamb remains avid and unwavering. And lately (well, ok, for years) I’ve been knee-deep in that wonderful approach to eating and entertaining, The Graze Board. The notion that you can put out a spread of food that looks strikingly beautiful, is so much fun to muse over and mix and match, and lets everyone eat just what they want at the pace the want to eat it—it is just delightful.
Lamb for Entertaining
So for my New Year’s Eve dinner, I decided to match up the concept of a lamb gyro with the appeal of a graze board. A boneless leg of lamb is daubed with Greek flavors (lemon, oregano, and garlic), then seared up to start it with a glorious crust. Then into the oven it goes, just until it hits that magical internal temperature of 125 degrees F, which – after a 20-minute rest – will yield perfectly pink medium rare slices of lamb. You can adjust the doneness to your liking, but truly cooking a leg of lamb to your ideal level of doneness is as simple as having an internal or instant-read thermometer.
The lamb is then sliced up and arranged on a large cutting board or platter, whatever you have, whatever you like. Then you pile on the accompaniments. Warm pita, a spinach and herb salad, a garlicky yogurt dip, some lightly roasted tomatoes, and slivered red onions (fresh or pickled) and a handful of baby radishes, if you like, for crunch and bite.
Make Ahead
What I love about this for entertaining is that you can do so much of it ahead of time, which is always terrific when you are having guests, and want to make merry instead of slogging away in the kitchen while your friends have all of the fun.
Slice the onions, and pickle them if desired a day ahead, and also make the herb salad, the dressing, and the garlicky yogurt dip. Store it all in the fridge. Roast the lamb and slice it just before your guests arrive. Have the pita sliced in half and ready to go. Then all you have to do is arrange the platter at the appointed time, and be ready to go. And everyone assembled their own gyros, as they like.
Wine Pairings
And guess what pairs really nicely with this lamb gyro situation? Sure, red wines, but also sparkling rose! Because of course you will want to offer something bubbly to ring in the New Year.
American Lamb
Pretty great looking, no? And now a few words about American Lamb, who I have been proud to partner with for the past couple of years. There are over 80,000 family-owned sheep farms and ranches in the U.S., and lamb is produced in every state. Which means, that you can get local lamb wherever you are! Much of the lamb is graze-fed for their whole lives, while some are finished on wholesome grain.
And lamb plus Greek or Middle Eastern or Mediterranean flavors are prefect partners. The rich deep taste of lamb is lovely on its own, but it can stand also up to stronger ingredients without being overshadowed, so you can pile on the garlicky yogurt sauce and the fresh herb salad with abandon. This meal feels comforting and adventurous at the same time, one of the hallmarks of lamb.
And once again, my son Charlie (#1 lamb fan) said it best: “Mom, this isn’t good. This isn’t great. It’s stupendous.”
A beautiful mashup between the deliciousness of a lamb gyro and the appeal of a graze board. Leg of lamb is daubed with Greek flavors, then seared and roasted resulting in a glorious crust and a perfectly pink interior.
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Other Lamb Recipes:
- Fall Apart Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Lamb
- Spanish Lamb Burgers with Romesco Sauce and Caramelized Onions
- Lamb Satay
- Lamb Stew with White Wine, Orange, and Fennel
- Moroccan Inspired Lamb Kebabs
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Make Your Own Lamb Gyro Board
Ingredients
- 1 boneless leg of lamb roast 4 pounds total, trimmed and tied
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the Spinach and Herb Salad
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill fronds
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Garlicky Yogurt
- 1 cup Greek yogurt preferably whole milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 large red onion halved and very thinly sliced (pickled if desired)
- Baby radishes with greens optional
- Pita bread to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bring the lamb to room temperature, about 30 minutes out of the fridge, and pat it dry with paper towels. In a small bowl mix together the dried oregano, lemon zest, garlic and salt and pepper. Evenly rub the mixture over the lamb.
- In a large skillet (large enough to hold the lamb roast), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides, turning so that it browns all over the exterior, about 12 minutes in total. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the meat registers 125 F in the center of a roast (for medium rare), using an internal thermometer, about 1 to 1 hour 20 minutes (start checking at 1 hour).
- While the meat cooks, make the Spinach and Herb Salad. In a medium bowl combine the spinach, dill, parsley, oregano. Drizzle over the olive oil and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well.
- Make the Garlicky Yogurt. In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, coriander and salt and pepper.
- When the lamb is cooked, transfer the roast to a cutting board, sprinkle it with the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice and let it rest for 20 minutes. Cut into very thin slices and place on a very large serving platter or board. Place the roasted tomatoes, sliced onions, radishes (if using), yogurt sauce and spinach salad into serving bowls. Place the pita in a separate bowl or basket. Let everyone assemble their own gyros.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
what do you do with the oregano and lemon zest & lamb? do you coat before searing/
yes, rub it all over the lamb before searing!
I love serving a deconstructed dinner like this, smiles all around the table. And the lamb? So very yummy❤️