Recipe: Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb and Vegetables with Lemon-Herb Dressing

GRILLED BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB AND VEGETABLES WITH LEMON-HERB DRESSING
You'll want to get this started a day ahead.

Lamb
3/4 cup olive oil
12 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 5- to 5 1/2-pound leg of lamb, boned, butterflied, trimmed
Dressing and vegetables
1 cup fresh lemon juice
5 shallots, minced
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

6 medium-size zucchini, trimmed, each quartered lengthwise
6 medium-size yellow crookneck squash, trimmed, each cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
3 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, each cut lengthwise into 6 strips
4 medium-size red onions, peeled, halved through root end, each half cut into 3 wedges with some of core attached
2 cups red Zinfandel

Grilling and serving
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 3/4 cups)
Fresh rosemary, thyme, and mint sprigs

For lamb:
Mix first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Place lamb in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over. Turn lamb, spreading marinade to coat evenly on all sides. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 day, turning lamb occasionally.

For dressing and vegetables:
Whisk lemon juice, shallots, oil, parsley, and mint in medium bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Place zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell peppers in separate dishes. Sprinkle each lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon 1/3 cup dressing over each and turn to coat; reserve remaining dressing. Arrange red onions in large glass dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour wine over onions. Let vegetables and onions marinate at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours, basting or turning occasionally.

For grilling and serving:
Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill vegetables in batches until just tender, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes for onions, 10 minutes for red bell peppers, and 8 minutes for zucchini and yellow squash. Transfer vegetables to baking sheets. Reserve red Zinfandel from onions to baste lamb.

Place butterflied lamb on grill rack with some rosemary and thyme marinade still clinging to lamb. Grill until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 130 F for medium-rare, turning occasionally and basting with reserved red Zinfandel from onions, about 35 minutes. Transfer lamb to work surface; let rest 15 minutes.

Starting at 1 corner and positioning knife at slight angle, slice lamb thinly across grain. Arrange lamb slices on large platter. Arrange grilled vegetables around lamb. Drizzle vegetables with reserved lemon-herb dressing. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Garnish with fresh rosemary, thyme, and mint sprigs.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Bon App tit
August 2002
Chef Katharine Kagel
Cafe Pasqual's, Santa Fe, NM