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Stuffed Leg of Lamb – Pinot Noir Soaked Fig and Dates with Gorgonzola and Pistachios

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I highly recommend that you ask the butcher to butterfly your lamb for you.  I speak from experience here.

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I tried to figure it out, consulted Google, and watched a video.  No luck.  Chris had to do it.

 

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He doesn’t mind though.  It makes him feel all cave-manly to cut meat and wield a knife.

Speaking of meat – it never looks as good in pictures as it does in real life.  At least not in my pictures.  I’m not going to burden you with ugly meat pictures with unappetizing juices leaking out. I’m just going to tell you to make this dang roast.  It’s totally awesome.

You don’t care for lamb, you say?  Well, big whoop?  It’s all about this booze-soaked fig and date stuffing with Gorgonzola and Pistachios anyway.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s fantastic with the lamb, but it would be good in just about any other kind of meat you like.  I think it would be awesome in pork chops or a pork loin too.

If I were going to stuff this into a pork chop, I would probably just cut a pocket and jam it in there. For a pork loin, I’m thinking maybe the way to go would be to butterfly it have Chris butterfly it, pound it out flat, stuff it and roll it. No matter what kind of meat blows your dress up, this stuffing is totally awesome.  You need to do this!

 

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And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

 

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Stuffed Leg of Lamb – Pinot Noir Soaked Fig and Dates with Gorgonzola and Pistachios

Ingredients

  • 4.5 pound leg of lamb butterflied (do yourself a favor and have the butcher do it)
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup salted pistachios
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to rub on lamb
  • 3-4 ounces Gorgonzola crumbled
  • 6-8 dried figs soaked in Pinot Noir for at least 4 hours, chopped
  • 6-8 dried dates soaked in Pinot Noir for at least 4 hourschopped
  • 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In the bowl of a food processor combine dates, figs, Gorgonzola, pistachios, garlic and bread crumbs. Pulse until combined and nuts and garlic are roughly chopped.
  3. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse until combined and the mixture is sort of damp and pasty
  4. Spread stuffing mixture on inside of lamb fold top of lamb over, tie with kitchen twine to keep together, rub outside of lamb with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  5. Roast at 350 15-20 minutes per pound, until rare or preferred temperature