Lamb, Mint Jelly and Orange Mint Stuffing for Easter/Passover

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Lamb Stuffing Ingredients:

• 1 x 12 oz. roll of Jones gluten-free pork sausage roll or ground (minced) beef or ground lamb
• 1 large onion peeled and quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• ½ – 1 cup fresh gluten-free breadcrumbs
• Grated rind of 1 large orange
• 20 mint leaves chopped
• 1 egg

Note: Pork sausage is already highly seasoned so I don’t add extra salt or pepper to stuffing. Add salt and pepper if you use ground beef or lamb.

Lamb Stuffing Directions

1. If you have a processor, then place all stuffing ingredients in bowl and run until very smooth and well blended, otherwise chop onion finely and mix all ingredients together by hand. Use to stuff boneless lamb for roasting or braising. I remove lamb from the knitted bag it’s sold in. Stuff and then either tie together with kitchen twine or silicon bands or skewer together. It’s unlikely lamb will fit back in knitted bag.
2. Remove the very heavy fat from outside of lamb. Jacques Pèpin says it the heavy fat that gives the taste that so many people don’t like about lamb. Cook the lamb for about 30 minutes per pound at 350 degrees either by roasting with dry heat or surrounding with root vegetables and adding some stock, covering and braising.

Mint Jelly

In England I used to make real mint jelly using Bramley apples – really tart, sour apples that cook to a wonderful apple pie. Granny Smith is the closest over here and still not sour enough. Mint sauce is far too vinegary and bought mint jelly here is neon green with peppermint oil. I buy a jar of regular apple jelly, as real as possible and equivalent of grocery store pack of mint. During Easter in New Hampshire, we normally don’t have fresh mint yet in the garden. Decant apple jelly from jar and melt apple jelly in microwave in a 2 cup microwave safe jug.  Add the stems of washed mint to melted jelly. It’s easier if you tie the stems together. Quickly heat jelly with mint stems, don’t boil. Leave jelly and mint sitting overnight. The next day, re-warm jelly which will have solidified again.  Remove stems, getting as much jelly off stems as possible. Finely chop mint leaves and add to jelly. You can do this several days in advance. Pour back into jar and refrigerate until needed. Enjoy!