Surf and Turf

I don’t know why people are afraid of anchovies. I don’t think they’re fishy at all. They’re salty and briny, which gives them a fantastic taste. Oh, I'm salivating just thinking about pizza with anchovies.

Many years back, I saw Lidia Bastianich use an anchovy-based paste to rub all over a grilled steak. I tried it and it was AWESOME. Recently, I ran across a recipe from Emeril that uses lamb (click here to see original recipe). I used it as a starting point and ended up with something so tasty, I can't even describe it. You’ll just have to try it.

Lamb Roast Rubbed with Anchovy Garlic Paste

• ½ head garlic, minced
• 5-6 anchovy filets + 2 tsp oil from can
• 1 tbs chopped oregano
• 1 tbs lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 ½ to 2 lbs lamb roast
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ingredients (except the meat) to get a paste. Rub the paste all over the lamb and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hour (longer is better). One hour before cooking the roast, take it out and let it sit at room temperature to take the chill off. Season it well with salt and pepper. Roast the lamb in a preheated 375º oven (I used a cast iron skillet, which I also preheated). The roasting time will vary depending on whether you have a butterflied piece of meat or whether it’s tied up. I had a butterflied roast and it took about 13 minutes (with convection on) for medium doneness.

If you want to make a pan sauce, transfer your roast to a large plate and put your roasting pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Add about ½ to 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar. Scrape up the stuck bits and let it reduce to about 3 tbs. Add about ½ to 2/3 cup chicken stock (and any juice from the resting roast) to the pan and let it simmer for a minute or two. Add a pat of butter if you like (whisk to make sure it’s well incorporated) and check the seasonings. Strain through a fine sieve before serving. If you prefer, you could serve tzatziki instead of sauce. Generally I make a sauce if I’m serving rice pilaf with the roast and tzatziki if I’m serving flatbread/pita.