Provencal Butterflied Lamb-on-the-Grill
Here’s an idea for something I call the “potluck club.” Invite six friends for dinner and share the menu beforehand: say, a Provencal barbecue featuring grilled butterflied lamb and a vegetable side dish, followed by a simple green salad with Camembert cheese on the side and a walnut tart with a bowl of berries. You, as host, will cook the lamb and pour the wine (a light Merlot is a good choice), and serve cocktails and coffee.
The rest of the menu is up for grabs. Give one of your guests the tart recipe, another the zucchini recipe. (If time or cooking insecurity are issues for your friends, there are always specialty food shops and bakeries.)
Pass out, too, the salad and vinaigrette, cheese, baguettes and the simplest bites to serve with drinks--roasted nuts, marinated olives or hummus with pita bread or crackers, all easily purchased. Talk these options over with your friends and see what interests them.
Combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste in a mini-processor or small bowl.
Use the point of a small sharp knife to pierce the meat deeply and push a small amount of seasoned oil into the openings with your finger, repeating over the entire surface of both sides of the lamb. Rub any remaining mixture over the surface. Place the lamb in a large plastic food bag and marinate the lamb between 6 and 8 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before grilling.
Wipe the grill with a wad of paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Heat the grill at least 1/2 hour before grilling. When ready to grill, sprinkle the surface of the lamb with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste.
Grill the lamb over medium-high heat until cooked as desired, turning a few times and basting with the wine after the meat is seared, about 12 to 15 minutes per side for thicker parts to be rare, depending on thickness, and a meat thermometer reaches 125 to 130 degrees. Transfer the meat to a platter and insert the tip of a knife into the thickest part to determine doneness.
Once done as desired, let the lamb rest on a warm platter, covered with foil, for 10 minutes. Cut the lamb across the grain at a slight angle into thin slices. Spoon the juices over the top. Lightly sprinkle the cut surface with salt and pepper. Garnish the platter with rosemary sprigs. Serve hot, warm or cool.
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