Last time I went to the store I bought two lamb legs because they were on sale. I really did not have an idea of what I was going to do with them so I placed them in the freezer waiting for some inspiration to hit me. My food Muse finally hit me when I saw this Mike’s post. That beef Wellington looks so delicious that I had to try it, but since I don’t eat beef and that lamb needed to be used I decided to make a little experiment. I don’t really know what to call this or if it has been made before, so for now I will just call it Lamb Wellington. This is what I ended up with:
The first problem I ran into was the bone in the lamb legs. I entertained the idea of baking them as they were but it would’ve been very difficult to eat them that way. With my non-existent butcher skills I separated the bones from the flesh managing to keep all my fingers in their place (in occasions like this I wish I had paid attention to my dad when he used to cut half a cow for the restaurant). After that the rest was simpler.
These are the ingredients I used:
- 2 lamb legs
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground parsley
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground basil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup cubed portabella mushrooms
- 2 leaves mustard greens
- puff pastry (I really don’t know how you buy it at the store. I used about 1/2 lb of it)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 or 2 tsp sesame seeds
Putting it together was quite simple:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC)
- Divide your puff pastry in two and roll it out to form two rectangles of about 1/4 inch thick and big enough to wrap the lamb.
- Mix olive oil, ground parsley, oregano, basil and salt and pepper to taste and rub the meat with this mixture. (I got that idea from this Andy’s post)
- Place one mustard green leaf and some of the cube mushrooms on top of the meat and roll. Coat with more mushrooms if desired and place on top of the puff pastry rectangle.
- Wrap, seal the ends and brush the egg yolk. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Place on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let it rest for about 5 minutes before eating and enjoy.
About this recipe:
- I skipped a kind of important step from Mike’s recipe. The first one was to make a duxelle with the mushrooms, shallot, garlic, butter and duck fat. I really don’t know what I was thinking about when I skipped this step. Next time I will definitely include it.
- Next time I will use a piece of boneless leg lamb or a piece of pork back. It wasn’t the best idea to use this kind of meat for this dish.
- The taste of this dinner was very different to what I usually cook. It was very good, but we just need to adjust our palates to the different flavors. It didn’t help much that I made a steamed turnip green and curly mustard salad with a Berry Delight dressing by Bountifuls for this dish. Don’t get me wrong, the salad was also very good, but the combination of all the flavors (lamb and greens) was a little bit too strong.
Another adventure was completed successfully and I’ve learned how to make a new dish. But really, what isn’t good when wrapped in flaky and delicious puff pastry?
Buen provecho!
30 Replies
You have just invented a new recipe – good on ya!!!! Love deboned leg of lamb. We always marinade it for 12 hours in buttermilk and then slap it on the barbie, but you have given me a brilliant new idea.
Posted on May 20th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I like this take on an original dish…Good on you for experimenting. It’s all about playing with food. And btw, not all of us can skillfully master puff pastry!
Posted on May 20th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Ben, practice (experience) will lead you to bone a leg of lamb like a pro. The internet has diagrams and instructions on boning a lamb leg….you’ll get it.
I adore this idea…a classic Wellington with lamb, done medium-rare…not easy to do…Bravo.
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 8:05 am
I love it when experiments are a success! And achieving a success the first time is even better
Good job Ben! Your Wellington lamb looks sooooo good 
. I bet you used the bones for a fantastic broth!
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 8:09 am
Nice job with the lamb. I haven’t tried boning a leg yet…maybe that is the next step for me.
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 8:21 am
Why are you torturing me with my favorite meat wrapped in puff pastry! Your wicked.
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 8:28 am
Oooo – lamb wellington – nice idea!! I adore leg of lemb!
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 9:18 am
Wow, Ben, this looks uber-ambitious! And ultra-delicious, too!
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 9:57 am
Ben, you always outdo yourself. Love the idea of lamb wellington and it looks SOOOO good. I’ve never cooked lamb, but this is inspiring me to do so.
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 11:40 am
This looks fantastic and many thanks for the mention! I’d been wondering recently about other “wellington” possibilities (veal keeps popping up in my head…), and I’m really glad to see that you blazed this pathway as I love the direction you took it in. Very nice work
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 1:05 pm
the experiment turned out a success. This is a great take of the beef wellington – and yes Mike had me drooling with that post too!
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I’m rubbish at cutting out bones…. I think I need to ask my butcher to show me how to do it!
That’s besides the point. It’s been ages since I’ve had a wellington pie. Need to fix that.
Great recipe Ben!
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Wow–that looks fantastic, Ben! Great experiment!
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Ben, this looks really good! I recently had a stew made with lamb instead of beef and it was really delicious, so I bet this would be just as good as a beef wellington.
Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Great idea, this looks delicious! Have you thought about trying to add some mint to this?
Posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 12:51 am
Beautiful, beautiful dish, Ben!
Posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 am
Excellent job Ben, it looks so delicious. I can imagine how nice it tastes. I made something similar with the leftover lamb of Easter, with leeks but made individual wraps.
Posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 7:20 am
Nice job Ben! Wow! I am super impressed my this one – not only the prep that went into it, but the outcome is gorgeous! AND a new recipe to boot! You are one cool dude!
Posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
I hear you on the meat cutter skills. But you tackled it! I usually get my sister who used to be a certified meat cutter but who’s sort of 3,000 miles away now, so that won’t work anymore…I love little Wellingtons, so couldn’t wait to see what you’d done with the lamb. It sounds pretty tasty. They look awesome, too. And yes, we’re learning how to adjust our taste buds to lamb also since it’s pretty new to us. I’m loving it, tho…
Posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Your lamb wellington looks really good. Using the lamb is a great idea!
Posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Hey, i like that. You’re ambitious and not afraid to try new stuff. Boning a leg of lamb isn’t difficult and you can find some good info online. After you’ve made a few you won’t even think about it. Very nice.
Posted on May 25th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Very interesting that you cubed the mushrooms instead of making a duxelle. Boning out a leg of lamb seems like a lt of work, but it looks like it was worth it!
Posted on May 26th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I’m not much of a sandwich person but my goodness, that looks delicious!!!!!!
Posted on May 27th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Deboning is hard work. I’m lazy and I let the butcher do that part. Kudos to you for that. Great job on the wellington. Making the duxelle will totally transform this next time. Try it with Madeira or brandy.
Posted on May 27th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I think this looks really good. I don’t think I could pull this off. Excellent work.
Posted on May 29th, 2008 at 4:24 am
You did really good with the pasty and everything.
Posted on May 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I like the way you think~ I’m not adventurous enough to make my own puff pastry. I buy it already made. You can find it at any supermarket these days in the freezer section with pie crusts. I have some in the freezer as we speak. I have some asparagus ideas that are driving me crazy. Keep experimenting- I love the ideas and creative juices!
Posted on May 31st, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Ben your lamb wellington looks delicious, nice idea!
Dell
xxoo
Posted on June 1st, 2008 at 6:07 am
This. Looks. Awesome. Bookmarked for the next time I need to impress people!
Posted on June 4th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Ben, I have an award for you. Yummy!!
Posted on June 5th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
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