Coffee-Braised Spoon Lamb

Coffee-Braised Spoon Lamb

Photograph by Annabelle Breakey

SERVES 8
TIME 6 1/4 hours

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves
1 bone-in leg of lamb (about 7 lbs.), trimmed of outside fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 shallots, peeled
1 tomato, cored and quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups freshly brewed strong coffee, divided
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Mince 2 garlic cloves and rub evenly onto lamb. Generously sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Put on a V-shaped rack in a large roasting pan. Distribute onion, carrots, shallots, tomato, and remaining 4 garlic cloves around rack. Drizzle oil over vegetables and lamb.

2. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and roast another 30 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to 250°. Transfer lamb to a plate and lift rack from pan. Set the roasting pan on a burner over high heat, add wine, and boil, using a wide metal spatula to scrape caramelized vegetables from bottom of pan, until wine is reduced by about half. Stir in 2 cups coffee. Remove from heat. Set lamb back in pan (without rack); spoon juices over it. Cover tightly with foil.

4. Return pan to oven and bake until meat is tender and pulling away from the bone, about 5 hours, turning lamb once halfway through cooking.

5. Transfer lamb to a platter and cover with foil. Reheat remaining 1 cup coffee and pour into a blender; add liquid and vegetables from pan, working in batches if needed. Pulse until smooth. Pour through a strainer set over a bowl, using the back of a spoon to push through if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour half the sauce over lamb; serve the rest in a bowl. Sprinkle lamb with parsley.

PER SERVING 469 cal., 42% (198 cal.) from fat; 55 g protein; 22 g fat (6.2 g sat.); 10 g carbo (0 g fiber); 156 mg sodium; 170 mg chol.