Provencal Lamb

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I'm back! Its been awhile since my last posting.  We have been busy!  I have many things I want to share, but wanted to start with the Provencal Lamb that I made for Easter.  Delicious!  I have never cooked a full bone-in leg of lamb and I was so pleased with the results.  The tomato sauce that is roasted along with the lamb is so good you'll want to eat it straight with a spoon.  To accompany the lamb, I made my Yogurt Cucumber salad and homemade rolls.  I'll admit, I was slightly intimidated by the size of the lamb before I cooked it...but it turned out beautifully.  This might become our new Easter tradition.  Enjoy!

Provencal Lamb

• 1 6-7lb. bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbs. chopped garlic (9 cloves), divided
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 3 lbs. ripe red tomatoes, cored and 1inch diced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup good honey, divided
• 1 large Spanish onion, sliced
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary

-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the leg of lamb in a large roasting pan fat side up and pat it dry with paper towels.  Combine the mustard, 1 Tbs. of the garlic, the rosemary, balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1/2 tspn. pepper in a mini food processor and pulse until garlic and rosemary are minced.  Spread the mixture on the lamb.

-Place the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/4 cup of the honey, the onion, the remaining 2 Tbs. garlic, 1 Tbs. salt, and 2 tspns. pepper in a bowl and toss well.  Pour the tomato mixture around the lamb and tuck in the thyme and rosemary sprigs.  Drizzle the lamb with the remaining 1/4 cup of honey.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and roast for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare.  Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

-Discard the herb stems and return the tomatoes to the oven to keep warm.  Slice the lamb, arrange on a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve with the tomatoes and pan juices spooned on top. Enjoy!