I was deep in dreamland on Saturday morning at 6:00 when the dog woke me up with her howling, but still, my first thought was Why am I so happy? And then: Holy s*%t did we rock dinner last night! Does that ever happen to you? When you are so pleased with the food you prepared for someone that the high lasts a solid weekend long? That’s what the past two days have been like for us — We grilled a feast for Andy’s parents on Friday and clearly, haven’t stopped patting ourselves on our backs for it yet. Andy was in charge of the leg of lamb (Abby: “It’s like steak, only better!”) which he cooked to perfection (not surprising, as you may remember, his report card indicated he aced Grilling) and I took care of the accessories: a wild rice salad, bright green fava beans smashed on crostinis, and a new take on Swiss chard. A chard that was so successful that the next day, Andy turned to me on the sidelines of Phoebe’s last soccer game and asked “Our defense is awesome today, no?” and then “What did you do to the chard last night?” I’m telling you, it will be hard to shake this one.
Grilled Leg of Lamb
In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup country style Dijon mustard, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and 3 sprigs of rosemary, destemmed and roughly chopped. Whisk together and spread all over butterflied leg of lamb. (This one was 2 1/4 pounds.) Add salt and pepper and let sit for about an hour. Grill over medium-hot coals (Important: Do not put over high heat; mustard will get charred.) about 5 minutes a side for medium.
I could eat this entire platter.
Fava Bean Crostini
Remove fava beans from pods. (I had about four handfuls of pods.) Boil beans in water for about 2 minutes, then immediately plunge in ice bath. Remove each bean from its casing and add to a medium bowl. Add a tablespoon olive oil, frehsly grated Parm (wished I had Pecorino) a small squeeze of lemon, 1 sprig of mint (chopped) salt and pepper. Mash together until it’s the consistency you see above. You want it to be a little chunky. Spread on top of baguette toasts.
Sauteed Chard with Horseradish
Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 small onion (chopped), salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add one bunch of chard (washed, destemmed) and sautee until it wilts, about one minute, chopping with kitchen scissors as you go. Stir in 1 teaspoon horseradish, and a tiny drizzle of white balsamic vinegar and serve.
Wild Rice Salad with Feta and Dried Cranberries
Prepare 1 1/2 cups wild rice according to package directions. Toss with crumbled feta, a handful of chopped walnuts, handful of dried cranberries, snipped chives, and a light vinaigrette, such as the DALS all-purpose one.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Jan @ Family Bites // Jun 20, 2011 at 11:55 am
Love the use of the horseradish with the chard…how clever! Congrats on the fabulous dinner.
2 Heather at Heather's Dish // Jun 20, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I am truly drooling over that crostini…it lOoks heavenly!
3 654carroll // Jun 20, 2011 at 2:52 pm
burning question: how much Dijon mustard does your family go through in a week? I feel like it’s an unsung hero in your recipes. And what’s the difference between country style and just good old “pardon me” (that’s dijon m’s codename in our house, because we’re fossils and remember those commercials)?
4 Elizabeth // Jun 20, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I really don’t have time for this, but I’m salivating.
5 Kate // Jun 20, 2011 at 5:10 pm
True story: bought frozen fava beans a YEAR ago thinking it was the kind of thing I SHOULD learn how to cook. Needless to say, they turned into a rock solid mass in the freezer until today when I saw that crostini recipe. Pulled them out, thawed out the giant block and made the puree with my 4 year-old. ( you have to understand , this is not the kind of thing I do!) it is sooo good and this was with FROZEN beans. As usual, DALS is the best!!!
6 Courtney // Jun 21, 2011 at 11:06 am
Laughing, I TOTALLY know what you are talking about in terms of thinking about totally rocking dinner the night before. I am STILL on my high from the dinner I made this past Saturday night for a birthday celebration – it totally rocked and even my husband is still talking about how it was the best thing I had ever made (Ina Garten’s baked jumbo shrimp scampi). Amazing what a good meal can do for your tummy….AND your confidence
Yours looks amazing – great job!
7 Maria // Jun 21, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Oh, I’m always so intimidated by lamb (not sure why), but by husband is also a grill master. I’ll have to give him this recipe to try, maybe he will master the lamb so I won’t have to!
8 Sharon // Jun 22, 2011 at 9:39 am
I don’t care for horseradish, but feel like it’s integral to that chard dish. Anything else you would suggest to brighten it up but not add that heat?
This is a beautiful menu for guests. Completely going to copy. THanks!
9 Heather // Jun 22, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Sounds amazing! We rocked our Saturday night dinner with guests last weekend, although it was really simple. Steamed lobster (DH steams them with fresh tarragon from my garden and other stuff he won’t tell me), two different kinds of melted butter (one had some sherry cooked in it yum!), corn on the cob and a cole slaw that we played with the dressing on it so it wasn’t very mayonaise-y. And of course chardonnay!
10 Michelle Levin // May 10, 2012 at 3:40 pm
“I read your newsletter, do I win the Jane Marvel tote?”
11 judith russo // May 10, 2012 at 3:42 pm
I love your newsletter and make many tasty dinners. I would love to win the market tote. Jane’s designs are stunning
12 Deb // May 10, 2012 at 5:12 pm
this looks delicious! I read your newsletter, do I win the tote bag?
13 gigi bergman // May 10, 2012 at 10:49 pm
I read your news letter1 I would love to win the Jane Marvel tote bag! This looks amazing!
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