2022 Tour de France - Stage 20: Lacapelle-Marival to Rocamadour.
Today is the final time trial of the race, a little over 25 miles, and takes the riders through the SW region formerly known as Quercy. There was some beautiful countryside that the riders completely ignored as they bore down to make their best time and preserve their lead before tomorrow’s final, and perfunctory, ceremonial stage. This particular region is known for its lamb, so I made the traditional French dish: Lamb Persillade, a roasted lamb with a flavorful parsley rub.
Lamb Persiallade
Boneless leg of lamb
2 slices of bread
2 bunches of parsley
3 garlic cloves, smashed
Extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the lower-third. Meanwhile, unpackage and dry the lamb. Using a sharp knife, open the lamb up into a large rectangular shape, slicing away the junctures, and opening the meat like a book. Cut away any silverskin, along with extraneous chunks of meat outside the rectangular shape. Use a meat mallet to pound into a uniform thickness.
Rip the bread into large chunks and pulse a few times in the food processor. Add the leaves of the parsley bunches, along with the garlic and 2 tbsp of oil. Process until well blended. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in more olive oil, as well as the cheese, and stir until well integrated.
Rub some olive oil on the opened up lamb, season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Rub on about 2 tbsp of the herb mixture. Roll up the lamb and secure with a few pieces of butcher string. Rub more oil on the outside and season with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Preheat a large cast iron (or non-stick) skillet over medium high heat. Place the fatty side down into the skillet and sear for 3 minutes on each side, until browned, and then stand up the roast and sear the ends for about 30 seconds each. Note: you may need 2 sets of tongs to accomplish the turning and holding the roast in place while it sears on the sides, and definitely the ends.
Transfer the seared roast, to a rack-lined roasting pan, and cook in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, until the thickest portion of the roast hits 110 degrees. Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board. Using shears, cut away the butcher string and carefully remove, as to not unfurl the roast.
Spoon on about 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard to the top and sides of the roast. Then apply the remainder of the herb mixture, pressing on with your hands. Return to the roasting rack-lined pan and continue roasting in the oven until the thickest portion of the roast hits 125 degrees, about 20-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place back on the cutting board, Tent, very loosely, foil and let it rest for 20 minutes. Slice into ½ inch thick slices and serve.
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Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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