roasted hock of lamb.....at kitchen! kitchen!.....and a very happy 2015 to all!!

Roasted Hock of Lamb

Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, and Garlic
 The magical spices for roasting


Now, that the season of festivities is behind us, hopefully, I will be able to play catch up with my cooking blog.

.....and here I am with my beautiful roasted hock of lamb with roasted potatoes and string beans.... Now, don't limit yourself with just potatoes and string beans, those are just what I have in ready supply.You could play with your imagination with whatever you have in your fridge ; and instead of potatoes you could serve it with rice, or any grains for that matter. You are the mistress/master of your kitchen, and don't you forget it! The ingredients I used as a marinade are rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic smashed to submission; salt, and freshly ground black pepper with about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Massage the marinade all over the hock and let it stay for at least an hour. The longer it continues to rest in the marinade the better the result. Preheat the oven to 350F. In the meantime, in a large skillet or cast iron pan ( I have several sizes of those cast iron pans - they are my workhorses in the kitchen); HEAT THE PAN WITH with 2 tablespoons of olive oil;  brown all sides of the hock; add the potatoes and roast in the oven for about 35-45 minutes according to your desired "doneness". I prefer the lamb hock to be a little pink inside - but , hey, I won't judge you if you prefer your meat well done and you may roast the meat longer. As for the string beans - I blanch them in boiling water for exactly 30 seconds and coat them with the hot juices of the lamb hock before serving. I suggest that you serve it with SALSA VERDE....here's what you  need for the SALSA: parsley or cilantro, thyme, oregano and tons of garlic (don't worry about your "breath" for later - it's so good you wouldn't even care); salt, black pepper, olive oil, apple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons) and pulse in the processor. Taste to correct the seasoning and add more olive oil if it's too thick. Add some minced scallions (by hand) for some texture. And you are welcome to add some chili pepper to the ingredients for a bit of a kick...AND  ENJOY!