The sunshine-deprived masses have perked up all over the city, the trees are suddenly bursting with blossoms, the air smells warm & grassy, and I continue to find crumpled up pastel foil wrappers at the bottom of my purse, in the car cup holders, under the nightstand...
Easter heralds in the fervent anticipation of Spring and brings with it pencil-thin asparagus and tender lettuces just peaking through the warm ground, sweet strawberries in full swing, and fresh, young lamb. It’s such a delicious season!
Seared Lamb Loin with Roasted Asparagus & Sunchokes
Serves 3
1 pound, about half a boneless lamb loin
Kosher salt & pepper, to taste
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 400°. Season lamb with salt & pepper. Rub in rosemary, then garlic, then Dijon. Heat small saute pan over medium-high heat, pour in olive oil, and sear lamb on all sides until nicely browned and caramelized. Place pan in oven and continue to cook until lamb reaches an internal temperature of 145° (medium-rare), about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let lamb rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve with roasted sunchokes and asparagus.
Quick Dinner Tip: For the three of us, dinner can usually fit in the toaster oven, which is better for the environment and the electric bill. Turn the toaster oven to convection bake @450°. Peel & wedge sunchokes, toss in olive oil, salt & pepper and chuck them in the oven. Prepare lamb as above, but instead of putting the pan into the big oven, remove it from the pan and snuggle it right in the midst of the sunchokes. The half-loin will probably take about 10 more minutes, so half-way through the cooking time throw in the asparagus (that has been tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper) and finish roasting everything. If one item goes faster than anticipated, it’s easy enough just to transfer those pieces to a plate. On the flip side, if the chokes or asparagus isn’t finished when the lamb is, finish cooking them while the lamb is resting on the cutting board.
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