Roasted Lamb, Fennel, And Onions

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup fresh sage
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seed
• 1 (3 pound) boneless lamb loin roast - trimmed, rolled, and tied
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 bulbs fennel, trimmed, tops reserved
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 4 red onions with peel, halved
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt to taste

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ready Time: 1 hr 50 mins


• preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c).
• melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. add 1/2 cup sage. cook and stir until leaves are slightly crisp, about 1 minute. remove leaves with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. cool, wrap in paper towels, and seal in a plastic bag. set aside. reserve the butter.
• mix the pepper and cumin in a small bowl. rinse roast and pat dry; rub evenly with the pepper and cumin. tuck remaining 1/2 cup sage leaves under the strings on the smooth (fattiest) side of the roast. set the lamb, herb side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
• spread olive oil in the bottom of a medium baking dish. thickly slice fennel and place in the dish. toss to coat with the olive oil, and drizzle with 3/4 cup orange juice. place onions in the dish cut side down.
• place roast on the center rack in the preheated oven. place fennel and onions on lower rack. bake the lamb and vegetables 1 hour, or until lamb reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees f (63 degrees c) and vegetables are tender. turn fennel once during bake time. reserving drippings, transfer meat to a platter and keep warm; let stand at least 10 minutes. keep the vegetables warm in the baking dish.
• place the roasting pan with reserved drippings over high heat on the stove top, and mix in the reserved butter from step 1, the remaining 3/4 cup orange juice, stock, and vinegar. bring to a boil, and stir to scrape up any browned bits in the pan. cook, stirring often, 10 minutes, or until reduced by about 1/2.
• arrange onions and fennel around the lamb. garnish with fennel tops, sprinkle with the fried sage leaves, and season with salt to serve.