Mediterranean-Style Leg of Lamb Recipe with Potatoes 1 leg of lamb, 4 to 5 lb, bone in, fat trimmed salt and pepper olive oil, more for later 5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; more for later 2 cups water 8 medium gold potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges 1 tsp paprika; more for later 1 tsp garlic powder 1 recipe lebanese rice, optional fresh parsley for garnish, optional for the lamb rub: 15 garlic cloves, peeled 2 tbsp dried oregano 2 tbsp dried mint flakes 1 tbsp paprika 1/2 tbsp ground nutmeg 1/4 cup olive oil 1 lemons, juice of Instructions Take the leg of lamb out of the refrigerator and leave in room temperature for about 1 hour. In the meantime, prepare the remaining ingredients and make the lamb rub. To make the rub, in a food processor, combine the rub ingredients. Blend until smooth. Set aside (or in the fridge, if preparing in advance). When ready, pat the lamb dry and make a few slits on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the oven on broil. Place the leg of lamb on a wire rack; place the rack directly on the top oven rack so that it's only a few inches away from the broiler element. Broil for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the leg of lamb is nicely seared. Remove from the oven, then adjust the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. When the lamb is cool enough to handle, insert the garlic slices in the slits you made earlier. Now cover the leg of lamb on all sides with the wet rub you made earlier and place it in the middle of a roasting pan with an inside rack. Add two cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Season the potato and onion wedges with the paprika, garlic powder and a little salt, then add them to the pan on either side of the lamb. Now tent a large piece of foil over the roasting pan, then place the pan on the middle rack of the 375 degrees F heated-oven. Roast covered for 1 hour. Remove the foil and return the roasting pan to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the lamb temperature registers 140 degrees F for medium. Remove the pan from the oven and let the leg of lamb rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. If you choose to, midway through roasting the lamb, cook the rice according to this recipe. Place the lamb and potatoes in a large serving platter over a bed of Lebanese rice, if you choose to. Garnish with parsley. Or, you may carve the lamb first, then arrange the sliced lamb with the potatoes over the rice. Enjoy! 2:00 start broiling 1:40 start roasting 0:25 roast out 0:05 start slicing 0:00 serve Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli Ingredients 2 cups medium-grain rice (not quick cook or partially cooked rice) water 1 cup broken vermicelli pasta 2½ tbsp olive oil salt ½ cup toasted walnuts, optional for garnish Instructions Rinse the rice well then place it in a medium bowl and cover with water. Soak for 20 minutes. Test to see if you can easily break a grain of rice by simply placing it between your thumb and index finger. Drain well. In a medium non-stick cooking pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the vermicelli and continuously stir to toast it evenly. Vermicelli should turn a nice golden brown, but watch carefully not to over-brown or burn it (If it burns, you must throw the vermicelli away and start over). Add the rice and continue to stir so that the rice will be well-coated with the olive oil. Season with salt. Now add 3½ cups of water and bring it to a boil until the water significantly reduces (see the photo below).Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low. Once fully cooked, turn the heat off and leave the rice undisturbed in it's cooking pot for 10-15 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!