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 [1]) 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 [2].