Lamb roast with garlic parsley orzo recipe

/

While most folks will lean towards beef for their red meat, let's not forget about delicious lamb, the other red meat, which is full of flavour and isn't only for special occasions.

This is one of my favourite recipes as it's easy to make and is great for leftovers.

Ingredients

1-2 pound of new Zealand lamb roast with oregano seasoning (if you want to save time you can buy them already seasoned)
3 onions (2 quartered and 1 finely chopped)
1 garlic clove
Parsley (a nice handful, keep some for the garnish as well)
1/2 cup of orzo
1-2 tbsp of Red pepper flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese (be generous)
2 tbsp of butter
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to season

Directions

LAMB

  1. Place the seasoned roast in a shallow roasting dish (I prefer a cast iron pan for extra flavour). Add quartered onions.
  2. Place in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
  3. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (this will depend on the weight of your roast, so calculate accordingly - 25-30 minutes per pound).

ORZO

  1. Boil your salted water and add orzo.
  2. In a med-high pan, add olive oil.
  3. Add chopped parsley, pepper flakes and finely chopped onions.
  4. When onions become translucent, add garlic.
  5. Add butter for extra flavour - we all need some extra love! ;)
  6. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Once orzo is cooked, add to parsley mixture.
  8. Lower heat to medium and add as much or as little of fresh Parmesan cheese as you see fit (the more the merrier in my kitchen).

FINISHING STEPS

When the roast is cooked, cover with aluminum for 10-15 minutes so that it rests and you can enjoy your glass of wine. Once relaxed (both you and the roast), spoon some orzo onto a plate and add the roast on top (either sliced or not) and then add the roasted onions that have captured the pan juices of the lamb while it was cooking!

If there are any leftovers, the roast can also be used for an excellent side dish. Just coarsely chop up the leftovers, add some cooked vegetables and serve with rice or pasta and voila! You just made a delicious stir fry dish with lamb!

Bon appétit!