My daughter jumped on a paleo diet on January 1^st of this year to see the effects on teen acne.  She had such strong will power in following a gluten, grain, bean, and dairy free diet that I decided I would join her. I embarked on a 6-week paleo challenge through my crossfit gym, 5B Crossfit. My biggest fear was giving up chocolate chip cookies and my beautifully frothed milk in my espresso.

In an effort to make the dietary transition more appealing, my daughter found a vast array of recipes on the web for her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She made a list of the recipes she would like to try from the Paleo Plan. Also, from working at Lava Lake Lamb, I was exposed to a variety of Paleo cooking websites such as The Food Lover’s Primal Palate, Nom Nom Paleo, Balanced Bites and The Domestic Man.

I do love to cook, but when I am busy I tend to follow the same cooking repertoire.  I love looking at different recipe web sites than my norm (epicurious.com) and experimenting with different cooking methods for meat, vegetables, and fruit. One of my favorite paleo websites is:  The Clothes Make the Girl. I have recently purchased her cookbook Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat and prepared the Moroccan Lamb meatballs with mashed cauliflower. This is now a household favorite!

I enjoy eating meat, but I was hesitant to eat so much meat. Meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, what about my low fat Greek yogurt?  That has to be better for me than bacon, sausage or eggs. I had to make adjustments to my breakfast staples. I made up a recipe for a frittata with a grated sweet potato crust, eggs, Lava Lake Lamb sausage, tomatoes, and spinach. That is my go breakfast now as well as paleo zucchini muffins.  My son who abhors zucchini and anything paleo, has no problem eating these muffins.  He hasn’t realized that everything we are eating at dinner is paleo, with a side of rice or pasta for him.

The Paleo diet has people rolling their eyes at me, but after 4 weeks, I have noticed significant changes. I do feel wonderful, a little bit hungry for certain things, but I do not crave sugar and snacks like I did. I definitely had food allergies which I did not know existed, and they are gone. I sleep like a baby, my snoring has abated somewhat (I think), and I have lost 5 pounds.

As for teen acne, the paleo diet has helped alleviate breakouts for my daughter. This has been better than any college level nutrition class. My daughter, at the age of 15, has learned how to read food labels; eat a small portion of grass fed meat with a variety of wholesome vegetables and fruit, and to cook in a healthy manner. Yes, it is a more expensive way to eat, but I do believe her health is worth the extra few dollars.

In preparation for the upcoming holidays, Christina has been looking for exciting and enticing lamb recipes for various cuts of Lava Lake Lamb.   Mario Batali’s Leg of Lamb in Clementine Crust looked so yummy, we were more than eager to test this recipe on adults and teens.   I will be to the point here – the recipe is fabulous, the lamb was crusty on the top, very moist inside, and the citrus flavor was not overpowering, but very harmonious.  Keep reading for a few pointers and clarification.

Since I was on the Chop, as being the chef, I made sure I read and re-read the recipe (see recipe below).  After buying fresh grapefruit for the juice, clementines, and white wine, I was confused why it was called a rough paste and not a marinade.   I envision a rough paste having the consistency of a fresh herb pesto which rubs on to the meat and does not run off.  As well, I couldn’t figure out if the clementines should be peeled, since the recipe calls for 4 clementines halved.   I called Christina, she conferred with Mike, and we all decided we would keep the peels on the clementines, but thinly slice off the top and bottom where the skin maybe more bitter.  I looked on the internet to see if there were any reviews on this recipe for clarification, but not yet.

Per the directions, the amount of ingredients is plenty; you do not need to double.  I cooked a 5.3 pound Lava Lake boneless leg of lamb, and there was plenty of marinade.   The marinade definitely is liquid, but if you leave the skins on the clementines, there is a thicker consistency that can be rubbed on to the top of the lamb.  In step 2 & 3, the rough paste is referred to as a marinade, so I felt I was on the right track.

The Leg of Lamb did have the most beautiful crunchy crust, as if it was grilled and not roasted in the oven.   We served the lamb with a fennel/potato/leek gratin, sautéed squash, and a fresh warm baguette.  We were all very satiated & happy with the outcome, I was not chopped from my job, and there were only a few scraps left for the begging Weimaraner dogs.

The combination of the two citrus flavors and the rosemary was an unexpected delight.

photo by Christina Giordani

The slight thickness to the marinade made for the perfect crust to the leg of lamb.

photo by Mike Gordon

Mario Batali’s Leg of Lamb in a Clementine Crust from Molto Batali

Yield: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
• 4 clementines, halved
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh
• rosemary leaves
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 boneless leg of lamb (5-7 pounds)
• salt

1) Combine the grapefruit juice, clementines, wine, garlic, rosemary, 2 tablespoons black pepper, and the oil in a blender or processor, and pulse until the mixture forms a rough paste.

2) Place the lamb in a large, shallow, nonreactive dish or pan. Rub the marinade over it, and turn the lamb to coat it on all sides. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (up to 36 hours).

3) Remove the lamb from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and transfer it to a roasting pan. Season the lamb aggressively with salt and pepper, and let it stand at room temperature for 45 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Rub the reserved marinade over the lamb, and add 1 cup of water to the roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

5) Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F, and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 130°F for medium-rare, roughly 1 hour and 25 minutes for a large roast. (It may be only 45 minutes for a small one, so be careful and check the temperature after 45 minutes in any case.)

6) Remove the pan from the oven and allow the lamb to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

One of the things I love about living in Idaho is that I feel my senses are aroused on a daily basis.  I love to hear the songs of all the little song birds, so much so, that I spend a ton of money on bird seed for our backyard feeders . The smell of the pine trees, soil, sage, and wildflowers absolutely astonishes me while I am out on one of my favorite trails.  I am always amazed how I can go on the same trail numerous times and see something new and majestic in the local mountain ranges.  I like being aware of my senses and anticipating anything new Idaho will throw at me.

My senses were overwhelmed last Friday when Christina and I attended the Lamb Cooking Demonstration at the Ketchum Grill with Chef Scott Mason, a featured event during the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. He happened to call the demonstration “Lamb S & M”. Very clever, since he was concentrating the class on sauces and marinades to complement the Lava Lake Lamb sirloins.

Visually, all of the ingredients looked amazing in their raw state. The shallots, herbs, and chanterelle mushrooms were so fresh and enticing. The fresh mint out of the chef Mason’s garden for the pesto was such a beautiful shade of green, and it screamed to be put in a glass of ice tea or lemonade. The home made demi glace made me think that I should be slow cooking lamb shanks on a daily basis for this heavenly sauce.

I loved how Scott touched all of the ingredients, and his knife skills were amazing.  He would make the marinades and use his hands to rub the spices into the lamb. Scott manipulated the ingredients so each piece was perfectly prepared. He didn’t measure the ingredients but threw things into the bowls by sight and feel, hence why the below recipes have little to no exact measurements or procedure.

Once he started roasting the spices for the Angry Tunisian marinade, my senses were going crazy. The smell in the room was reminiscent of Christmas spices, but taken to a whole new level. I was shocked that my nose would be going so crazy and nothing was even cooking yet. Once he started cooking the Tomato Chutney on the burner, Christina and I were salivating.

Scott’s humor in the class was evident by the name of the demonstration. He had the participants commenting on all sorts of things that he soon classified as kitchen humor. I was happy to see all of the participants engaging with each other and Scott during the class. It wasn’t quiet like a classroom, but engaging as if you were out to dinner at Ketchum Grill.

My final sense chef Scott engaged were my taste buds. I enjoyed how the lamb he prepared was not masked by the sauces and marinades but lightly kissed and complimented by the spices and home-made condiments. The sirloin was so beautifully cooked and sliced, but the taste was so fresh and fulfilling. I love eating food that is fulfilling to the taste buds rather than just filling up my stomach. Scott was so kind to send me home with some of the Lamb and Wild Rice Meatballs topped by Chanterelle sauce (my husband’s favorite dish in the entire Wood River Valley).

After the cooking demonstration, I felt that all of my senses had been stimulated. It was just as exciting as being outside and experiencing all the amazing sensory stimulation we receive while living in Idah