Chef Jamie Gwen’s Spring Leg of Lamb With Mint Pesto & Roasted Garlic Aioli
A boneless and butterflied leg of lamb cooks quickly on the grill, imparting fabulous flavor and smokiness, while still guaranteeing you the ability to cook the meat to perfection.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 3-pound butterflied boneless leg of lamb, trimmed
DIRECTIONS
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper in your blender or food processor and blend to combine. Place the butterflied lamb in a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate for 24 hours to impart fabulous flavor.
Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 1 hour before you’re ready to grill to guarantee even cooking. Remove the lamb from the marinade, pat dry and discard the marinade.
Preheat your Twin Eagles Grill using a 2-Zone set-up (one side of the grill on high heat and the other side on no heat) to cook the lamb indirectly using the radiant heat as convection.
Place the lamb on the grill over direct heat and sear both sides, creating grill marks and locking in the juices. Move the lamb to indirect heat, cover the grill and cook until an internal thermometer registers 125ºF, about 15 minutes total for medium-rare, depending upon the thickness of the lamb.
Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with Mint Pesto and Roasted Garlic Aioli.
Serves 6 to 8.
Mint Pesto
INGREDIENTS
Fresh mint and parsley combine for this bright spring-inspired pesto.
2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup packed fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup toasted walnuts or pistachios
2 peeled garlic cloves
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt & freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine the mint, parsley, walnuts and garlic in your food processor. Process to a paste. Slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper and blend well. Taste to adjust the seasoning.
Roasted Garlic Aioli
Aioli is a classic preparation, a mayonnaise base with roasted garlic infused into each creamy, heavenly bite. You can make mayonnaise from scratch or use this cheat method for instant gratification.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup prepared mayonnaise
6 roasted garlic cloves*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt & freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine the ingredients in your food processor and blend until smooth.
*To roast garlic, cut the top third off of a bulb of garlic and drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and roast at 325°F for 1 hour or until the garlic cloves are caramelized and tender. For individually peeled garlic cloves, drizzle a handful of cloves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the seasoned cloves in aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes, shaking the packet a couple of times during cooking, or until the cloves are tender and golden.
Chef Jamie Gwen’s Limoncello Lobster Tails
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds fresh lobster tails
2 grapefruits, juiced
1/4 cup Limoncello
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 lemons, halved
Unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS
Split each lobster tail; Traditionally, you would cut the top of the shell using kitchen shears, to expose the meat, but I find that the lobster meat tends to overcook a bit that way. I prefer to split each tail completely, leaving the actual tail intact, to minimize the cooking time.
Combine the grapefruit juice and Limoncello in a shallow dish. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the split lobster tails in the marinade, meat side down, and let sit for 20 minutes.
Heat your Twin Eagles grill to high and grill the lobster tails, turning often and basting constantly with the marinade, about 4 to 5 minutes or until just cooked through.
Meanwhile, grill the lemons, cut side down, until golden and juicy. Serve the lobster tails with melted butter and grilled lemons.
Serves 4
Jamie Gwen is a CIA Grad, Celebrity Chef, Certified Sommelier, Lifestyle Expert and four-time cookbook author who can be seen stirring up something delicious on television, on the radio and in print from coast to coast. Visit ChefJamie.com for more recipes.
Heartbeet Kitchen’s Grilled Bone-In Pork Chops With Garlic Butter
Weeknight grilling inspiration: perfectly tender grilled bone-in pork chops with a golden, caramelized garlic butter that you can make on the grill simultaneously. The butter mixture is drizzled over the pork chops as they rest, infusing them with amazing flavor.
INGREDIENTS
3 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided
2 thick cut, bone-in pork chops (around 1 ½ inches thick, weighing about 9-10 oz)
Grilling tip: For best results, select a thicker cut because they don’t dry out as easily.
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Fresh parsley, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel. Rub 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper into each pork chop, getting the seasoning into both sides. Lay pork chops on a wire rack inside a sheet pan and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat one side of the grill to medium-high with the lid closed, so the temperature of the grill holds steady at 375-400ºF.
Sear the pork chops for 2 minutes on each side over medium-high heat. Then move them to one side of the grill where the burner is off. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes with indirect heat, until the temperature of the pork chops is around 120ºF using a digital meat thermometer.
Finish the pork chops with a final sear on both sides over medium-high heat, until the temperature of the pork chops is 145ºF. Make sure not to overcook or they may become dry. Pull pork chops off the grill and let rest for 5 minutes as the juices saturate.
While the meat is resting or the pork chops are searing, place a cast iron skillet on the grill over medium heat. Add butter and let melt, then add garlic and a handful of minced parsley. Sauté for a few minutes until fragrant. Drizzle garlic butter over rested pork chops and enjoy.
Heartbeet Kitchen’s Spicy Grilled Salmon in Foil
Filets of high quality, wild-caught salmon, cooked gently from the steam of a foil packet, dressed in a garlicky, spicy butter then finished with fresh lime juice. An incredibly easy recipe that’s perfect for grilling beginners and experts alike, Twin Eagles Partner Heartbeet Kitchen’s Spicy Grilled Salmon in Foil is ready in just 20 minutes on your grill!
Heartbeet Kitchen’s foolproof recipe features a spicy garlic butter made with chili powder and sriracha spread onto the salmon filets before wrapping them in foil. This keeps the salmon moist and flavorful, and “the lime juice at the end of cooking brightens the salmon, and provides the acid needed to round out the dish.” Simply mouthwatering.
INGREDIENTS
2 (6 ounce) wild salmon filets with skin on
kosher salt
3 tablespoons very soft butter
3/4 tablespoon harissa powder
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 large cloves or 3 small)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 lime, 1/2 of it thinly sliced, the other half reserved for the juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat grill to 400ºF (lid closed)
Pat salmon filets dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Mix butter ingredients together and use a knife to spread butter evenly onto filets.
Pull out a piece of foil, about 18-20 inches long. Place lime slices in the middle of the foil, then put the salmon on top of the lime slices. Top with shallot slices.
Fold each side of the foil up and over the salmon, so that the salmon is fully enclosed and the sides are tucked underneath, sealing to create a “package.”
Set foil package on grill and cook for 6-7 minutes with lid closed. Open foil and check temperature, removing once salmon reaches 125ºF.
Bon Appetit!
