Recipe(tried): Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Smashed Garlic Potatoes, Salad and Vinaigrette, Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Smashed Potatoes, Steamed Green Beans, Butter Lettuce, Radicchio, Gorgonzola and Toasted Almond Salad with Vinaigrette, Vanilla Ice Cream with Sliced Fresh Strawberries and Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

This is what I made for DH for Father's Day.

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb from Williams Sonoma Grilling

"A butterflied leg of lamb is a large flat boneless piece of meat weighing about 4 pounds (2 kg); your butcher can prepare it for you. The mint sauce suggested here bears no resemblance to the sweet mint jelly often served with lamb." (Mint jelly is often served with lamb here in the U.S. I am not fond of it but mint sauce is a different story.) I confess that I used Cross and Blackwell Mint Sauce and noticed that malt vinegar was used in their sauce so you may want to "play" with this recipe from Williams Sonoma.

Mint Sauce:

1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. chopped fresh mint leaves
pinch of salt

For the Lamb: (I was able to get a small piece of lamb - about 2 1/2 pounds, so I cut the marinade ingredients in half.) These amounts are for the full recipe.

2/3 c. dry red wine
1/3 c. olive oil
2 Tbl. chopped shallots
1 Tbl. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 leg of lamb, 6 - 7 pounds(3 - 3.5 kg), boned, butterflied and trimmed of visible fat

To make the mint sauce, combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the mint and salt; set aside to allow the flavors to mellow.
To prepare the lamb, place it in a glass dish large enough for it to lie flat. Stir together the wine, oil, shallots, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over lamb and marinate for at least 2 hours, or all day (refrigerated) if you wish, turning occasionally.
Prepare fire in a grill. Position the oiled grill rack 4 - 6 inches (10 - 15cm) above the fire. Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels; reserve the marinade. Place the lamb on the rack. Grill for about 35 - 45 minutes, turning frequently and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade. (Our lamb was not that thick and we like it medium rare so only cooked it 15 - 20 minutes.) The meat should remain pink on the inside; make small cut in the thickest part to check.
Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes, covered loosely with aluminum foil. Carve across the grain into thin slices. Serve with mint sauce. Serves 6

Smashed Garlic Potatoes

1 3/4 pounds small (creamer) red potatoes
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbl. butter
1/4 to 1/3 c. milk (?)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash potatoes in cold water. Cut each potato in half. Place potatoes in a pot along with the chopped garlic and cover with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. When the potatoes begin to boil, remove the cover and lower heat. Cook about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife or fork. Remove from the heat and using the pot cover to prevent potatoes and garlic from falling out, drain the water from the pot. Return the pot to the stove and, over low heat, shake the pan and dry the potatoes so they aren't watery when you smash them. Season with salt and pepper. Keeping the pot on low heat, add the butter and shake the pan so the butter melts. Add the milk and let it warm up a little or warm the milk ahead of time. Using a hand potato masher, smash the potatoes so they are creamy but still somewhat chunky. Check seasoning. Serve hot.

Salad and Vinaigrette

1 bag Butter Lettuce with Radicchio Mix
Gorgonzola
Toasted, sliced almonds
Vinaigrette

Place lettuce on each persons plate. Place small pieces of Gorgonzola on lettuce. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I serve the almonds and vinaigrette on the side so each person can use the amount they like. You could do this with the gorgonzola as well.

To toast the sliced almonds, put them in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in a 325 - 350 degree F oven for about 5 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't get too brown.

Vinaigrette:

1 Tbl. prepared Dijon mustard
4 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil

Measure mustard into a bowl. Whisk in vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
Continue to whisk while slowly dribbling in olive and canola oil until mixture thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste. Cover until ready to use. Yield: 1 cup

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
4, 1 ounce squares (rectangles) Hershey's unsweetened (bitter) chocolate
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large can (11 0r 12 ounce) evaporated milk (Make sure that you use evaporated milk NOT condensed milk)

Melt butter in the top of a double boiler; drop in chocolate and stir until melted. Add sugar, a little at a time, stirring well until all sugar has been added. (Mixture will be very heavy and dry.) Add salt. Slowly stir in evaporated milk, a little at a time. After all the milk has been added, let cook over hot water until all te sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. This keeps in the refrigerator a long time and may be reheated for ice cream. You may notice that the sugar crystalizes after a period of time in the refrigerator. The suace is not bad. To get rid of the crystals, just "nuke" in the microwave. I put a small amount (whatever I need) in a small dish and microwave for about 20 seconds; stir and microwave again for 20 seconds; stir again. Keep repeating until sauce is hot and the sugar crystals disappear. Yield: about 5 1/2 - 6 cups (You may want to give some of this to friends. It makes a lot:-)!)