Leg Of Lamb w Braised Kale

I went about 29 years thinking I hated lamb. In fact, I used to order it out at work dinners just to keep trying to like it. It wasn't until last year when I started making it at home that I really started to love it. I was researching lamb and apparently the difference is that a lot of the lamb that we are getting in the states these days is domestic (at least at Whole Foods). Whereas, traditionally lamb was coming from Austrailia and New Zealand (which I still see at Costco and other big box food stores). I find the american lamb a LOT less gamey and more enjoyable.  I typically marinate the leg or chops in mint, rosemary, garlic, shallots and olive oil at least over night. I trim the fat off and roast it.

I really enjoy lamb medium rare and serve it with a mint and cucumber yogurt sauce. I paired this leg with braised Kale and broccoli raab.

To braise the kale, I start with sauteeing down pancetta and white onions.

After this has achieved the right amount of browning, I add the kale and red pepper flakes for about 4 minutes.

I use the kale to scrape up the fond at the bottom of the dutch oven and then add chicken stock and let it braise for 7-10 minutes. It's amazing how much flavor it has when served and it's super healthy.