M5 Easter Dinner
Lamb and Root Vegetable Potpie with Leaf Lard Biscuit Crust
[As seen in Five Marys Family Style Cookbook]
Everyone in our family loves the combination of flavorful meat, chunky vegetables, and flaky crust. Rack of lamb and leg of lamb are popular on Easter, but I love this other lamb option! Using ground lamb instead of stew meat means it doesn’t need to simmer for hours, so the whole thing comes together in about ninety minutes.
You’ll need a 12-inch or similar cast-iron pan for this dish.
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
1 pound ground lamb
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, as needed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1/2-inch-pieces
1 pound carrots (about 5 large), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound parsnips (about 4 large), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika or regular paprika
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 cups beef bone broth
1/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
FOR THE CRUST
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for forming the dough
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) cold rendered leaf lard, regular lard, or unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons cold heavy cream, divided
1 large egg, beaten
Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Makes 6 servings
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven.
First, make the filling. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium- high heat. Add the lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through and browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. (You should have about 2 tablespoons; if you don’t think there’s quite enough, add a swirl of olive oil.)
Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, and season with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, season again, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are browned in spots and beginning to soften. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste and paprika, stirring until totally incorporated. Add the red wine and cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then stir in the lamb and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until smooth, then carefully stir the mixture into the filling. (The pan will be quite full.) Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegeta- bles are just tender. Stir in the Dijon, season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove the pan from the heat.
While the filling simmers, make the crust. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add the lard and, using your fingers, a pastry cutter, or two knives, work the lard into the flour mixture until it’s evenly sandy and a little ragged looking—all the fat should be broken into pea-size pieces or smaller. Add 1 cup of the cream and, using a fork, stir the mixture until most of the cream has been absorbed. Use your hands to gently knead the dough a few times in the bowl, gathering up any dry spots as you go and adding the last 1 or 2 tablespoons of cream if necessary to make the last bit of flour in the bottom of the bowl stick together.
Transfer the dough to a well-floured board and pat into an 8-inch round. (It’s OK if it’s crumbly.) Fold the dough in half, then in half again (this will create good layers in the crust), then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rough 12-inch round, adding flour to avoid sticking as needed. Brush away any extra flour. Brush the entire round with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with sea salt.
Carefully transfer the dough to cover the filling. (You can use your hands and forearms to move the dough, or use the board to slide it onto the filling.) Gently fold the edges of the dough under where they overlap the edges of the pan, then use a small, sharp knife to cut six 3-inch-long slits through the dough in a starburst pattern. These will let steam escape as the potpie bakes.
Place the skillet on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Let the potpie rest for 10 minutes, then serve hot.
NOTE: To make ahead, prepare the filling as instructed, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Prepare the dough and transfer the round to a baking sheet, cover, and refrig- erate for up to 24 hours. Before baking, first reheat the filling in the skillet at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling around the edges, then stir; carefully top with the pastry and bake as directed.
Easter Egg Breads
[As seen in Five Marys Family Style Cookbook]
My mom is Irish and Croatian and grew up with a special recipe for Easter egg breads. We try to make them every year to keep the tradition alive and it’s always evolving. Some years we dye our eggs with super vibrant Ukranian egg dyes and some years we experiment with colors of naturally dyed eggs, which we make using foods and spices like turmeric, red cabbage, onion skins, and berries.
Makes 8 breads
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon half-and-half, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for forming the dough
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 hard-cooked eggs (dyed, if desired)
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the warm water and yeast and set aside for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes foamy.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1⁄2 cup of the half-and-half with the butter cubes. Heat until the cream bubbles around the edges, then remove from the heat and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted.
Add 1 cup of the flour, the 2 eggs, sugar, and salt to the mixer bowl and mix on low until combined. Add the cream mixture and 2 more cups of flour, and mix again on low speed until no white streaks remain.
Switch to the dough hook, add another 1⁄2 cup of flour, and turn the machine on low speed until the flour is incorporated. Finally, add only as much of the remaining 1⁄2 cup flour as needed, adding just until the dough starts to pull away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. (It won’t clean the bowl completely.) Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 1 minute, stopping as needed to pull the dough down and off the dough hook.
Grease a medium mixing bowl with the olive oil. Add the dough and turn it to coat all sides of the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise at room temperature until tripled in size, about 2 hours.
Punch the dough down to deflate it and transfer to a clean counter or large board. Pat the dough into a roughly even layer. (The dough will be slightly sticky but shouldn’t require dusting.) Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut the dough into eight equal pieces (each weighing about 4 ounces).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it near your work space.
Using your hands, roll each piece of dough into a 12-inch-long snake. Set the dough aside to rest for about 5 minutes.
Cut each snake crosswise into two equal pieces and roll each piece into a 10-inch-long snake, so you have a total of sixteen snakes. You can pull and squeeze as needed here; because the buns will rise again, it’s OK if they are a little lumpy at this point. Let the dough rest again for 5 minutes.
To form a bun, place two dough snakes on a work surface and pinch their ends together on one side. Twist the two snakes over one another repeatedly until you reach the end, then press the two ends together to form a circle. (It will look like a twisted bagel.) Transfer the dough circle to the prepared baking sheet and press the ends together firmly, then place one hard-boiled egg in the center, pointed end up. Repeat with the remaining dough and eggs, spacing the buns evenly across the baking sheet.
Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until the buns look puffy and have risen enough to touch or almost touch each other.
About 15 minutes before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with the remaining teaspoon half-and-half.
Just before baking, brush every surface of the buns gently with a thin layer of the egg wash, avoiding the hard-boiled eggs. (Take your time; any big drips will look like scrambled eggs on the buns.)
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes, gently separating them if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap any cooled buns well and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
NOTE: As you might imagine, having four girls in the house means that a lot of braiding happens. If you want, you can give these a braided look instead of twists: Divide each dough eighth into three pieces, rather than two, then roll each piece into a 10-inch snake and braid the dough instead of twisting it.
Smoked Asparagus & Red Pesto
This is such a delicious fresh, healthy, side to pair with your hearty main lamb dish!
Ingredients
2 pounds trimmed asparagus
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE RED PESTO
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup cilantro
1 garlic clove
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
Preheat the smoker to 350 degrees F. Place the trimmed asparagus in a grill basket and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Put the basket in the smoker and be sure to turn the asparagus as the bottom spears will cook quicker than the top.
Prepare the red pesto, pulse all ingredients in a food processor to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning. Top the grilled asparagus with the pesto.