Wine & and Food: Wild Horse Pinot Noir & Lamb With Lemon Pepper Potatoes

Wine: Wild Horse	Type: Pinot Noir
Country: USA	Region: California
Rating: Good	Price: $18
Recommendation: Recommended

Recently, I saw a recipe on TV for Lamb with Lemon Pepper potatoes and it looked so good I thought I’d give it a try and I am really glad I did, it was sensational. We chose a Californian Pinot Noir called White horse, which complemented it nicely.

The wine comes from the Central Coast of California from the Wild Horse winery. The grapes appear to be grown on their property and sourced from several other areas in the central coast such as; Santa Barbara, Monterey Bay, Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande, and the Santa Lucia highland regions. The name Wild Horse emanates from the wild mustangs that were once common in the hills nearby. The web site for the winery includes some interesting stories about their approach to sustainability which I encourage you to read.

The wine itself, is pleasant and easy drinking. The fragrance is slightly earthy and has a medium cherry coloring, the taste is smooth and has hints of berries including, strawberries and cherry.

The food was a great success; this is how it was done.

Ingredients:

Lamb (The recipe called for a leg weighing approximately 6 pounds, we substituted lamb chops)

1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes (We omitted)

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 Garlic Cloves; minced

1/4 cup Fresh Rosemary

1/4 cup Fresh Oregano

2 tablespoons Sugar

2 tablespoons Coriander Seeds; toasted

4 pounds medium sized Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 large Lemon; sliced

1 head of Garlic; split in half

4 small Sprigs Rosemary

The day before cooking combine following and crush in a mortar and pestle:

Minced Garlic

Rosemary

Oregano

Sugar

Coriander

Red Pepper Flakes

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, and crush in a mortar and pestle.

Add olive oil and season the leg of lamb on all sides, wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Cooking

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Remove the Lamb from the refrigerator, rinse and let the chill come off of it, about 1 hour (We didn’t rinse)

Place the potatoes in a large cast iron pan or sheet tray; add the lemon slices over the top along with the Garlic and Rosemary Sprigs. Season aggressively with Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper and

give it a “drizzle” of Olive Oil. Place the pan in the oven on the bottom rack.

Season the Lamb with Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper and place it on a wire rack (shelf). Place the rack directly on the oven rack, above the Potatoes. Roast for 1 ½ - 2 hours, letting the juices from the meat drip down on to the potatoes, until cooked. Remove the Lamb from the oven, (if doing a leg, tent it with foil and rest it for at least 20 minutes).

Remove them from the oven when done.