This Easter centerpiece looks like a fancy roulade, but it's simply a boneless leg of lamb folded over an aromatic pistachio-scallion stuffing and fit to be tied. Boneless leg of lamb is a less expensive cut than a rack and more flavorful, too—when roasted with potatoes, it's practically a one-pan meal. Now that's glorious.
Leg of Lamb with Pistachio Stuffing and Potatoes
Our Leg of Lamb with Pistachio Stuffing and Potatoes, pictured above, starts with pulsing scallions, parsley, lemon zest, pistachios, and olive oil in a food processor to create a chunky paste for the stuffing. Then dry-toasting and grinding whole spices for a rub on the exterior of the meat. Deputy food editor Greg Lofts, who developed this recipe, says it's totally worth it; "Coriander brings citrusy notes, cumin adds nuttiness, and mustard seeds are tangy," he explains
The potatoes are parboiled before roasting, this results in crisp skins and creamy insides; in the oven, they cook in the roasting tin with the lamb on top and soak up the spice rub from the meat and drippings.
Getting the Fold Just Right
The only part of this easy entertaining recipe that's not obvious is folding the meat around the pistachio-scallion stuffing. Here, we show you the three steps to acing that technique. A roulade results in beautiful slices of meat wrapped around stuffing, but rolling it up can be challenging. For this lamb dish, we use a simpler technique that guarantees all the oohs without any ughs.
Pound It Flat
Leg of lamb consists of a few differently shaped parts; the aim here is to get them to the same thickness so it all cooks evenly.
Spread the Filling
This scallion-pistachio mixture tastes vibrant and keeps the meat extra-moist. Be sure to leave a border all around so it doesn't spill out.
Close the Deal
Folding the lamb lengthwise, like you're shutting a book, ensures a uniform pinkness inside and makes slicing easy.