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Ham and Lamb recipes for Easter

Ham Roast With Leeks

You'll need to order this skin-on cut from a butcher. If you don't plan to stuff it, have the butcher tie the meat into a rolled roast for you. You'll need an instant-read thermometer. Serve with spring vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. The pork needs to marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or up to overnight.

For the meat

4 to 6 limes

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon dried sage, crumbled between your fingers

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

One 6½-pound skin-on fresh picnic, pork butt or shoulder, butterflied (see note)

4 cloves garlic, cut into very thin slices (optional)

For the stuffing

1 large or 2 small leeks (trimmed), white and light-green parts

2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the meat: Cut the limes in half and squeeze their juice (to taste) into a mixing bowl. Toss in the spent lime halves, then add oil, sage, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper, whisking to incorporate.

Invert the ham roast so it's skin side down, on a platter. Use a knife to slash sections of meat, to help even out the surface. Pour the marinade evenly over. Then make small cuts for inserting all the thin slices of garlic, if using. Lay the spent lime halves so their pulp is touching the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours, or up to overnight.

For the stuffing: Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly to remove any grit. Pat dry and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, placing them in a mixing bowl as you work. Add the celery and thyme, then drizzle with the oil, tossing to coat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a large sheet of plastic wrap on a clean counter top. Place the pork on the plastic wrap, skin side down, with a short side parallel to the edge of the counter. Distribute the leek mixture evenly over the meat. Carefully roll the farther, short edge tightly toward the center, then fold the near short edge over the first roll, so the skin shows on top. Some of the leeks may fall out the ends; either push them back in or add to the roasting pan.

Use kitchen twine to tie the meat at 2-inch intervals (a total of about 6); start the first tie just off-center, and work out toward the edges on both sides. Pull and knot as tightly as possible, a few times for each one. The knots should line up on the side. Do not score the skin.

Transfer to a roasting pan, placing 3 of the spent lime halves and ¼ cup of the marinade in the pan as well (discard the rest of it). Roast for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees; continue to roast for 20 minutes, or until the skin is nicely crisped and the internal temperature of the meat is 150 to 155 degrees. Strain and reserve the pan juices in a fat separator cup, if desired, for serving. Let the roast rest for at least 30 minutes.

When you're ready to carve, discard the twine. Make a horizontal cut to slice off the skin and its fat, which should come away in a single piece. If desired, cut this up into small bits and gather in a bowl, to use as a garnish. Slice the roast thinly. Serve warm.

6 to 8 servings

From Pam Ginsberg, of Wagshal's Market in Northwest Washington.

Garlic and Mint Roasted Lamb

If the lamb roast comes in cotton netting, you can leave it on. If the netting is elastic or made of nylon, it's best to remove it and tie the roast with kitchen twine. You'll need an instant-read thermometer. The lamb rubbed with paste needs to rest for 2 hours at a cool room temperature.

For the lamb

8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 ounces fresh mint leaves

Leaves from 1 sprig rosemary, coarsely chopped

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons (about 1 tablespoon)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

One 4-pound boneless leg of lamb roast, tied or in cotton netting (see note)

For the jus

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium carrot, scrubbed well and coarsely chopped

½ medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 rib celery, coarsely chopped

1 cup dry red wine

¾ cup no-salt-added chicken broth

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the lamb: Combine the garlic, mint, rosemary, lemon zest and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper in the bowl of a mortar and pestle or in a food processor; grind or pulse for 20 seconds, then add the oil. Grind or pulse to form a paste.

Lay the roast on a platter lined with plastic wrap, fat side down. Rub all the paste into the meat all over; let it rest at a cool room temperature for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Heat a stove-top-safe roasting pan over medium-high heat. Once it's quite hot, add the lamb, fat side down first; sear until golden all over, turning as needed. Transfer to the oven; roast for 2½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 to 145 degrees (medium-rare). Carefully pour the pan juices into a large liquid (heatproof) measuring cup.

Let the meat rest for 30 to 45 minutes; meanwhile, make the jus: Combine the oil, carrot, onion and celery in medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the wine and stir with a spatula, dislodging any browned bits. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by half. Stir in the reserved pan juices and the broth. Reduce the heat to medium; cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or to the desired consistency (the longer you cook the jus, the more concentrated its flavor will be but there will be less of it). Strain, if desired, discarding the solids. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper, as needed.

Transfer the lamb to a cutting board; discard the netting or twine. Cut crosswise into thin slices and serve warm, with the jus.

6 to 8 servings

Nutrition | Per serving (based on 8): 420 calories, 47 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 145 mg cholesterol, 270 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugar

From Will Morris, executive chef at Vermilion restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia.

Deb Lindsey/The Washington PostA paste of garlic and mint is rubbed into a leg of lamb before roasting keeping the meet juicy while creating a flavorful crust.
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