Jeanne, cover your ears. Jess said this was the best lamb meal he's EVER had. As with any ambitious meal featuring meat, we got the lamb at John Dewar's in Newton Centre. This was a beautiful piece of meat (no snickering.) And it should have been since it was barely less expensive than having it at a restaurant. Our portions were much bigger. Or I should say Jess' portion was bigger. Of the eight ribs, Jess had five and I had three. I didn't mind at all. Frequently after cooking a big meal, I'm not terribly hungry. I think its the adrenaline or maybe the heat that kills my appetite. God knows there's not much that will.
I didn't really follow a recipe for the lamb... I made sure that the meat had been out of the fridge long enough to come to, or close to, room temperature. I rubbed it with olive oil, fresh thyme, some garlic, a little lemon zest, salt and fresh ground pepper. Probably most importantly, I used a reliable thermometer to make sure the meat was cooked to the desired temp. I have one of the kinds with a probe that stays in the oven, and a digital read out that stays on the counter top with a metal cord in-between. This really makes it easy, since you don't risk cooling your oven down every time you want to check the temp.
Our sides were terrific and perfectly complemented the meal. Italian cous cous is like Israeli cous cous only bigger (which is like normal cous cous, only bigger.) It's also more rustic or wheaty--it has a taste of its own. It doesn't just soak up other flavors. It's also not as fluffy and doesn't soak up as much liquid. For a veggie, we had creamed spinach. The recipe I used was rather light, so the meal was not too over the top. A moderate amount of cream, some onion and just a hint of nutmeg. I’ve posted the recipe here.
Enjoy the pictures that follow. Particularly the ones of Jess picking the lamb carcass apart like a jackal.
