Many of my friends and family are constantly asking for recipes when I post my food on Facebook or Instagram. So, here we have a collection for this year’s Thanksgiving with my girlfriend!
For our sweet potatoes, we used an excellent recipe from Budget Bytes – Beth always delivers, and her maple brown butter mashed sweet potatoes are no exception. We added about 25% more spice than what was called for in the recipe and used some bourbon maple syrup we got at the MOFGA Common Ground Fair in September.
The regular potatoes were straight from Serious Eats, following Kenji’s instructions for Hasselback Potato Gratin. I added a bit more cheese because I am me.
Molly made Herbed Parker House Rolls, which she found on feedfeed (their Instagram is drool-worthy, by the way), and a spiced pumpkin soufflé with maple bourbon sauce (see a theme here?) for dessert.
Since we are only two people, we decided to go with a roast instead of a bird this year. I improvised on the lamb but my method is based heavily on Kenji’s articles on Serious Eats. Here it is posterity.
Sous Vide Rack of Lamb
Ingredients:
1.5-2lb rack of lamb, frenched (ask your butcher to do it and make sure the chine bone at the bottom is removed)
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1-2 stems worth of sage leaves
3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium shallot, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock (I use Better than Bouillon)
2-ish teaspoons flour
1 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
2 tbsp butter
Preparation:
Prepare a water bath with your favorite sous vide immersion circulator. I like 130 degrees for medium, increase temperature to your liking depending on how you like your meat. Remove any extra membrane or fat from the exposed bones if your butcher didn’t do a perfect job of it.
Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Cover with garlic, shallots, rosemary, and thyme and place in gallon ziplock bag. Remove air with the “water displacement” method and seal. Cook for at least one hour but not more than three.
When your service time is near, heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until it is ripping hot and the oil is almost smoking. Remove the lamb from the bag. Remove herbs, garlic, and shallots and reserve. Pat the lamb dry. Place in skillet and sear, turning a few times as needed to ensure a nice even crust. Place on a platter and tent with aluminum foil.
Add stock to small sauce pot over medium heat. Add any drippings from the sous vide bag to the stock. When the cast iron pan cools slightly, add butter, garlic, shallots, and herbs. Stir frequently and allow butter to start to brown. When the butter has a nutty, caramel smell combine it with the stock. Whisk to combine. Whisk flour in slowly, adding more to achieve the consistency you want for the gravy. Remove from heat. Carve lamb, plate, and add gravy as desired!