Easter Menu

What are you all doing for Easter?  What are some of your menus and traditions?  I am thinking of doing a leg of lamb.  I need side dish ideas also.

I am doing bourbon/maple ham, with Southern style green beans and au gratin potatoes; haven't decided on dessert yet. Those potatoes (or parsley potatoes with butter and fresh parsley, maybe garlic, too) would be good with your lamb. So would the green beans. Wish I could have lamb, too, but my family hates it. I did buy a couple of lamb shanks on sale the other day and will do them in the crock pot for myself.
Sauteed snow peas would be great with your lamb, too. They look good on the plate and are delicious. I do mine with a little butter and some chopped green onion, a tiny bit of soy sauce at the end.

We just ate chocolate eggs and bunnies.

I'm making the spicy lamb again.  It is so good!!

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?m=384318&high=lamb

how are you preparing the lamb??

that would make a difference as to what side dishes to have.

i usually insert garlic cloves inside the meat before cooking it and i put a couple of cups of a good red wine in the pan while it's cooking too.  i cover the meat with waxed paper and tuck it under the meat and then put the lid on the pot and bake on low heat 275 for a while and then raise it to 300 or 325 for a bit and then lower the heat to 275 for the rest of the cooking time...times vary due to size of the leg.  basically, i cook it at the different temps for thirds of the total time needed to cook it thoroughly...starting and ending on a really slow cook with the middle time at a bit higher really makes the meat fork-tender - the higher heat at the middle helps it to not take too, too long to get done.

traditional side dishes at easter for us are all polish/ukranian based: beets w/horseradish, egg salad (made with fresh horseradish, not mayo), coleslaw, pascha and the prune roll thing that i always forget the name of.  peas, green beans, carrots would also be available.  sometimes we'd have pieorgi, too (instead of mashed potato).

that recipe for the spicy lamb sounds fabulous!!  i'm going to have to try that!!

Shortchef sounds delicious, can you send me your recipe for southern green beans?  Fabulousoyster I am going to use your recipe.  Is that a total of 3 hours in the oven?  I was going to have the butcher bone and butterfly my leg of lamb would that still work?

joclyn now your lamb sound delicious too!  I would love the beet salad recipe.  I am from Washington County (PA) and I went to a catholic school with a Polish parish.  How I miss the pierogies and cabbage and noodles.  Brings back memories

Easter for me has always meant lamb.  I simply am unable to concieve of an Easter dinner without it.

For a butterflied leg of lamb marinate it in some olive oil, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook it on a grill (gas or charcoal) till it's rare to medium rare.  For side dishes try some cous cous and grilled asparagus.

Blue Heaven, yes that is total 3 hours cooking for a 6lb bone in lamb.  It will not be rare, between soaking in the yogurt mix and roasting, it will be well done but tender.  You can butterfly and de-bone it, tie it up in a roll do the same, it will weigh less. I go with about 25 minutes per pound at 350F.  
 
I know WarToad I never understood why so many people do not like lamb.  I had an Easter party once and served lamb, Greek style, several people looked almost horrified, how could I serve such a thing.......They ate it.  They probably wanted ham.  I love ham, but my children don't like it.  I'll never have another Easter gathering without telling people that the main course is lamb.

This year, its my favorite recipe; whatever my brother-in-law is cooking...yum!

I'm gonna Cook/Smoke a Bone-in FRESH Ham on the Rotisserie in my 36 year old Kenmore( Made by Arkla) Gas Grill!
Using Applewood for smoke. 
Don't know about sides yet.

That old cast aluminum grill has an oven on the back that will hold a 20# Ham or Turkey. I've rebuilt the guts in it at least 10-12 times.
 
It's going "In the Box" with me when I go to that Big Smokehouse in the Sky!

KonaErnie


For a butterflied leg of lamb marinate it in some olive oil, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook it on a grill (gas or charcoal) till it's rare to medium rare.  For side dishes try some cous cous and grilled asparagus.

Kona, we are two peas in a pod.  That's exactly how I'd go.

By the way, are you Kona born?  I've spent years there, just curious.

WarToad

KonaErnie


For a butterflied leg of lamb marinate it in some olive oil, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook it on a grill (gas or charcoal) till it's rare to medium rare.  For side dishes try some cous cous and grilled asparagus.

Kona, we are two peas in a pod.  That's exactly how I'd go.

By the way, are you Kona born?  I've spent years there, just curious.

WT....

Born and raised on Long Island, NY. Moved back there in 1974 after a tour in the Navy then relocated to Kona in 1985. Kona no ka oi!

Hey Kona..You da man!  Ever eat at Merriman's?

I'm going with something very unique..Turkey.  I dry rub the Tom with all sorts of spices like garlic, oregano, thyme, paprika, onion powder, sage, rosemary (fresh) salt, pepper and Bay seasoning.  Wrap it in Saran Wrap over night in the ref.  Olive oil just before putting it in the oven.  Gonna stuff it.

Friends making corn pudding, salad and store brought potato rolls from Publix.  No potatoes this time....

I will also do whole berry canned cranberry and add horseradish

Homemade 9" chocolate cream pie with legitimate whipped cream.  I doctor up the Jello chocolate pudding (cooked version) with some chocolate liqueor.  I also mix ground pecan meal into the ground graham crackers. 

Leg of lamb, but just because its a seasonal spring meat and not for religious reasons :) and it's not something I have very often. I like to get the best quality free range meat that I can and cook it very simply, stud the fat with some slivers of garlic and fresh rosemary, S & P and roast it until it has a nice crispy goldenbrown outside and pink and juicy inside.

Sides will again be very straightforward. I like clean fresh spring flavours. New pots steamed with a sprig of mint and peas tossed in chopped fresh mint and butter, young carrots lightly cooked and finished off with a light glaze - just a little butter and clear honey. Probably roast red onion wedges too, not tradtional but very tasty ! I like cooking leg bone in so will not stuff it but will make a stuffing to cook seperately with homemade breadcrumbs, sausagemeat, finely chopped apricot/leeks. And the local farm shop does some beautiful home made preserves that are great for serving with meat, hopefully I will be able to pick up some rowan jelly which is delicious with lamb.

For afters I'll go with the extravagant with eggs theme and make a big baked custard tart with grated fresh nutmeg and a lemon meringue pie, although I am getting a friend to make the pastry for those simply because she is better at sweet pastry than me !

Some years I have cooked roast duck or spring chicken for Easter. My parents certainly used to cook turkey at easter as well as Christmas but to me it is not really the most interesting of meats.

Probably start with cream of asparagus soup with parmesan custards (sort of a floating island effect), unless I can find nice favas, in which case I might do ravioli with fava/ricotta filling served with sage butter

Then spit roasted leg of lamb (garlic & rosemary) with white beans provencal and asparagus or roast potatoes and sugar snap peas.

KonaErnie

WT....

Born and raised on Long Island, NY. Moved back there in 1974 after a tour in the Navy then relocated to Kona in 1985. Kona no ka oi!

Excellent.  I married a Japanese/Hawaain girl from Kona, and though it unfortunately didn't work out, we're still good friends.  Spent a good 15 years exploring the Big Island.  Riding the dirt backroads, finding hidden beaches, helping out on the cattle ranches and wharves with friends I made.
 
There's a whole lotta life, love, and memories on those islands.
 
A hui hou ~ Toad

Baah Ben


Hey Kona..You da man!  Ever eat at Merriman's?

Ben....Yes I have been to Merriman's a few times......Best restaurant in Waimea. In keeping with the Easter lamb theme, Merrman's has some great local lamb from Kahua Ranch. Usually my first choice when deciding what to order. Gotta love the rack of lamb. Need to get back up to Waimea one of these days.

blue heaven, my sis has the recipe notes and books from our grandmother and great grandmother...was supposed to give them to me years ago because I'M the one that does the cooking (she cooks like our mom did - everything is cooked to death ;) ).  i'll see if she can pull the out of whereever she has them stored before the holiday!!

Thanks joclyn....don't go to too much trouble....you can just kind of tell me to give me an idea.  I appeciate it!

Its funny-I havent even thought about it-unusual for me.I make ham alot, so thats out.Bob doesnt like lamb, as he ate many pets on Grandmas farm years ago.So I may go for turkey-kind of a mid year Thanksgiving.My sides will be different though, asparagus, boiled new potatoes with butter and dill, my Moms recipe for stawberry jello with fresh stawberries, celery and walnuts.And of course, all the jelly beans and chocolate treats I can handle!

blue heaven


Thanks joclyn....don't go to too much trouble....you can just kind of tell me to give me an idea.  I appeciate it!

i never ate them because i don't like beets...still, i was around enough when she was doing her thing (she was an excellent cook and i was an eager to learn kid) that i picked up on some of her recipes...
 
so, even without her notes...i'd say she cooked the beets herself and then riced them and then added freshly grated horseradish.  
 
you could certainly used canned, although,  i'd think fresh cooked would be more tasty. 
 
she might have put a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice in it, too (instead of vinegar).  that's what i wanted to check on...i'll just assume she did, since she used lemon juice in place of the usual vinegar in a lot of recipes.
 
 

well, none of the recipes are written down :(  i didn't know that - wish i had as i'd have talked with both grand & greatgrand before they died so that things would be documented.
 
i only have a couple of them because i specifically asked my grandmother about the things i particularly liked...the beets weren't one of those.  darn!  i wish i'd known that nothing was written down!!
 
anyhoo, i talked to a couple of family members to see if they could remember anything.  the beets were most probably freshly cooked and she grated them - didn't rice them.
 
so, since i cook like they did (no measurements really, i just eye-ball stuff) i went looking for recipes for you.
 
for 3 cups worth:
 
1 pound of cooked beets, peeled and finely grated 
1/3 cup freshly grated horseradish
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar
 
some recipes called for brown sugar or no sugar at all and some also had salt...i doubt she put salt in it.  she may also have not put the sugar in - which may be why i didn't like it as a kid.
 
i'm almost positive she'd have used lemon juice over vinegar - with other recipes that called for vinegar she used the lemon juice instead and it DOES make a difference in how things taste.  still has that 'tang' that the vinegar gives, yet isn't as 'harsh' as it can be sometimes.
 
you could make it and then add more horseradish if you feel it's needed, or, start with 1/4 cup if you don't like too much sharpness/bitterness.
 
 
 

Thanks so  much joclyn for all your trouble searching the recipes for me.  I know not everyone likes beets but I happen to love them.  They will be on my Easter table...

Sides for the Lamb:
Au Gratin Potatoes
O'Brien Potatoes
Asparagus with sherry mushroom cream sauce
Cous Cous
5 Cheese Mac and cheese with bacon
Collard Greens
Twice backed potato stugged with a bacon, cheese, garlic potato mixture
Creamed Corn lima bean and sauteed red onions
Ceasar Salad
Corn Pudding

you're quite welcome, blue!!!!  i'm sure you'll enjoy them...and, i should probably try them again (tastes change as you get older).  beets are pretty nutritious...

you didn't say how you're going to prepare the lamb...doesn't really matter all that much since lamb does have a stronger flavor to it, you'll want sides that offset that a bit.
 
still going with the polish theme, pierogi are great as a side - especially if you top them with sour cream (that will complement the strong flavor of the meat very nicely).  if you can't find any locally, the mrs t's frozen aren't all that bad...i just boil them a tiny little bit longer than package directions and that softens the dough up a bit.  you can also pan-fry in butter/onions.  i don't usually do that though. 

i'll never say no to asparagus, lol!  that would actually be a good side with lamb.  i usually just do a light blanching and then drain and use fresh squeezed lemon on them. 

i do like the idea of the asparagus with the sherry mushroom cream sauce, though!!!  AND you could even put some sherry in with the lamb when it's cooking, so the flavors would tie in.

chewingthefat, could you post the recipe for that??

if you want gravy for the lamb, i wouldn't use the pan drippings (too fatty).  i would just use can/jar brown gravy and add in whatever spices/herbs you put on the lamb...having gravy would be good if you go with mashed potatoes.

some nice rolls would be good, too.

My husband and I always have turkey on Easter.  We usually have asparagus, which adds a nice springtime touch, as well as dressing and gravy.  He makes fabulous dinner rolls (from scratch) to go with the meal. 
 
And we have Easter petits fours from Divine Delights, which we love.  http://www.divinedelights.com/
 

Easter dinner this year is
 
leg of lamb, butterflied and marinated (I use the recipe from the old Silver Palate cookbook)
roasted asparagus
roasted new potatoes
old fashioned sppon bread
salad
 
and for dessert
strawberry shortcakes with homemade biscuits