Guide to Planning a Perfect Easter Dinner - Part 2

 

We hope your Easter dinner planning is underway as Easter is only about 2 weeks away. We've been getting requests from our customers to share a recipe for an alternative Easter dinner centrepiece. If you're also a member of the Taking-a-break-from-ham club, we've got you!

We picked lamb sirloin roast as the most ideal alternative because it's tender, rich, flavourful, and easier to cook than ham. If you have a smaller family to serve (2-4 people), then this roast is an even more excellent choice!

If you're here and wondering "wait, I want ham this Easter", click here to go to the special menu we created for you to cook the perfect ham at home.

Below are 3 recipes built by in-house chef for you to prepare a perfect lamb sirloin roast along with two side dishes incorporating local seasonal ingredients.

1. Herb and Dijon Crusted Lamb Sirloin Roast

Serving: 2-4 people | Cook Time: 15-30 mins

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lamb sirloin roasts
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion (white and light-green parts only; from about 8­ green onions)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumb
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoon Alberta Artisan Honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Position a rack in the centre of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Arrange a flat roasting rack over a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet.

• Heat 2 tbs. of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring until fragrant but not browned, for about 20 seconds. Add the scallions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mint and parsley and cook, stirring, for another few seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl.

• Pat the lamb loins dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of  oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Cook the lamb, turning once, until two sides are nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the lamb loin to the roasting rack on the baking sheet and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

• Stir the panko, mustard, and honey into the scallion mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently press the crust on so that it covers the top and comes partway down the sides. Roast the lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a loin registers 125°F to 130°F for medium rare, 15 to 20 minutes, or 130°F to 135°F for medium, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the lamb 1/2 inch thick and serve; make sure to scoop up any crust that falls off the lamb and scatter it over each serving. 

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2. Roasted Root Vegetables with Fresh Herbs

Serving: 4 people | Cook Time: 30-40 mins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium organic carrots (peeled and cut in 1-1 ½ inch pieces)
• 4 cups organic Norland red potatoes (cut in halves or quarters depending on size)
• 3 medium organic parsnips (peeled and cut in 1-1 ½ inch pieces)
• 1 large yellow onion (peeled cut in ⅛th's)  
• 2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (finely chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

• In a large bowl, combine all of the above ingredients and toss with the extra virgin olive oil.

• On a greased baking sheet, arrange the vegetables in an even layer for proper roasting.Turn vegetables half way through the cooking time.

• Roast vegetables until desired colour/doneness, roughly 30-40 minutes.

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3. Simple and Delicious Baby Kale Side Salad

Serving: 4 people | Cook Time: 5-10 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of baby kale
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tseapoon dijon mustard
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Juice of ½ -1 lemon
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

• In bowl, add the dijon mustard, lemon juice and half the parmesan cheese.

• Slowly whisk in the olive oil, the dressing won’t be fully emulsified, more of a broken vinaigrette.

• Toss in your baby kale (rip and massage the baby kale leaves first for bite size tender leaves) and season with salt and pepper.

• Top with additional parmesan and enjoy!

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