My all-time favorite leg of lamb recipe is Ina Garten’s Easy Provencal Lamb. I go back to this recipe often, it’s one of those dishes that takes about 15 minutes to prep and once it’s in the oven is completely hands off. It’s elegant enough for a dinner party and easy enough for family dinner. If I’m home early enough on a Friday, it’s the perfect meal to end the week and start the weekend which is what I did last night.  Serving our family of four I ended up with quite a bit of leftovers this morning and as someone who doesn’t love to eat last night’s dinner for lunch, decided to deconstruct dinner into this healthyish salad for lunch. Recipe for Ina’s Lamb is below:

Easy Provencal Lamb

Serves 8 as a main course 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (6- to 7-pound) bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed and tie
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves), divide
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leave
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored and 1-inch dice
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 cup good honey (see note), divided
• 1 large Spanish onion, sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• Note: You’ll want to use a liquid—rather than a solid—honey for this recipe so it can be drizzled on the lamb.

PREPARATION:

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the leg of lamb in a large roasting pan fat side up and pat it dry with paper towels. Combine the mustard, 1 tablespoon of garlic, the rosemary, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a mini food processor and pulse until the garlic and rosemary are minced. Spread the mixture on the lamb.
3. Place the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/4 cup of the honey, the onion, the remaining 1 tablespoons garlic, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a bowl and toss well. Pour the tomato mixture around the lamb and tuck in the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the lamb with the remaining 1/4 cup of honey.
4. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and roast for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare. Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Discard the herb stems and return the tomatoes to the oven to keep warm. Slice the lamb, arrange on a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve with the tomatoes and pan juices spooned on top.

As the lamb was cooking, I roasted cubed sweet potatoes and broccoli with a little olive oil and s&p for a more complete meal. I just placed the roasting pan under the rack with the lamb for the last 30 minutes.

Source: Epicurious

For the Salad:

Cube leftover lamb into small pieces and serve on arugula with leftover roasted sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Add sliced radishes or other raw veggie for some extra crunch and color. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and a little olive oil.