Bah Ram Ewe, To Your (Secular) Easter Be True - Olive-stuffed Leg of Lamb

Ah, Easter. The time of chocolate bunnies and Peeps! The chocolate bunny tie-in with Easter is of course, according to Eddie Izzard, because the brown of the chocolate symbolizes the brown wood of the cross. Right.....

But then there's Peeps. They are utterly without a tie-in to the religious reasons for the Easter celebration. The disciples did not have pink and yellow marshmallow next to the money changers' table. But aren't they fun? Let's celebrate them!

Peepton Abbey

The annual dioramas are always a hoot. Here are some special ones!

Spinal Peep. Where's Stonehenge???

The Village Peeps

And then there's this one, in tribute to the stupidest marketing campaign for a pharmaceutical ever, as Colonel Mustard deems it:

Cialis for Peeps

They are so yummy, especially when you slit open the package and let them get a little stale. La Torpille Rose taught me that trick.

I don't celebrate Easter, but it is a great excuse for making a really big ham or other huge chunk of meat. And of course, eating Peeps. And Cadbury Mini-eggs. I'm going with a menu of olive and anchovy-stuffed boneless leg of lamb, roasted fingerling potatoes with garlic and parsley and a Green Goddess salad. You'll probably have extra dressing. It goes well on the taters.

I was even going to attempt a pineapple upside down cake, but that seemed too ambitious, particularly since I don't bake that often. For another time, perhaps?

Mangia!

Olive-Stuffed Leg Of Lamb

Courtesy: Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

¼ cup drained oil-packed anchovies

¼ cup finely grated lemon zest

¼ cup mint leaves

¼ cup parsley leaves

2 tablespoons thyme leaves

½ cup olive oil, plus more

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 3–4-pound piece butterflied boneless leg of lamb

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Finely chop shallot, garlic, nuts, olives, anchovies, lemon zest, mint, parsley, and thyme in a food processor. With motor running, stream in ½ cup oil; process until blended. Season stuffing with salt and pepper.

Ready for the oven!

Unfold lamb on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing over top; roll up lamb from left to right. Position seam side down and tie closed with kitchen twine at 1 ½" intervals crosswise, then once lengthwise. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil.

Roast until lamb is starting to brown, 30–40 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325° and continue to roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125°, 35–45 minutes longer. Remove lamb from oven and tent with foil; let rest 15–20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Do Ahead: Lamb can be stuffed and tied 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic and Parsley

1 ½ lb fingerling potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus for sheet pan

½ cup chopped Italian parsley

Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.

Add potatoes  and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven . Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them over halfway through, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside. Remove from oven, add to a serving platter and sprinkle with parsley.

Green Goddess Salad

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

2 scallions, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves with tender stems

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 avocado, cut into ¼-inch slices, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated and torn
3 heads Belgian endive, sliced thinly (I found lovely red endives today!)
2 cups baby spinach

1 cup sliced yellow and red grape tomatoes

3 green onions, sliced

Purée scallions, tarragon, chives, cilantro, parsley, oil, vinegar, yogurt, and one-fourth of avocado in a food processor until smooth. Thin dressing with water, adding a little at a time, until similar in consistency to heavy cream; season with salt and pepper.

Arrange lettuce on a platter; drizzle with half of dressing and season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining avocado, green onions and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle or dot with remaining dressing. If the dressing is too thick to drizzle, thin it with a little water. I like to keep it on the thick side and dot.