My Annual Holiday Feast…

If you are looking to bite into something different this holiday season, here is what I make every year – yes, it’s time to go Provencal!

This is “Gigot D’Agneau” – and it’s my favorite holiday meal!

It’s a classic roasted lamb shank, which is smothered in herbs and baked on top of potatoes, onion and tomatoes so that the incredible juices from the lamb soak into the gratin!

How To Make Your Own “Gigot D’Agneau”

Let make a roasted lamb shank with provencal vegetables! First, preheat your oven to 400.

Rub the bottom of your roasting pan with a split piece of garlic. I also lay down a dozen slivers of butter to help the potatoes carmelize…then slice your potatoes and lay them down as the base of your dish…

On top of the potato I spread sliced onion…instead of chopped, I like them spread out as rings, and then I add chopped garlic. The amount is up to you…but a head of garlic and one large onion worked for me…

Next, slice tomatoes over the top of the onion – I used three tomatoes total, and I cut them in a larger chunk as they will melt down a bit during cooking – and then I season the dish with a healthy amount of salt, pepper and fresh thyme…

I used a leg of lamb that was just under six pounds. I got mine bone-in, which I think helps the flavor of the meat…put the lamb shank on an oven rack, directly over the vegetables…season the shank LIBERALLY with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary…

This is a case where you can let you palate guide you. I plan to add Fennel to the dish this year, and perhaps some fennel seeds on the Lamb as well, for that licorice scent.

I roasted the lamb for about an hour and fifteen minutes…the thicker part was medium rare and the smaller side of the shank was medium, so it worked well for everyone!

I removed the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for fifteen minutes – then sliced it up for everyone to enjoy…

I also serve provencal carrots with garlic and black olives…and of course, I serve the Gigot with my favorite potato cake, courtesy of the legendary restaurant in Paris: Chez L’Ami Louis:

This is a much easier recipe than the end result may look – it’s all about mastering the “flip” of the hot pan to reveal the cartelized potatoes in the bottom:

Making The Chez L’Ami Louis Potato Cake!

Here is my step-by-step process for making this iconic “gateau de pommes de terre”…

I began with five Russet potatoes, which I peeled and then sliced thinly – you can do it on a mandolin, but I did it by hand, each slice approximately 1/4” or so thick…next, you sauté all of them together in a large NON-STICK frying pan – I used clarified butter as well:

The Pan Is Everything!

Make sure the frying pan is large enough for all of the potatoes, and has some depth to it, because this is the pan you will putting into the oven to finish the dish – and make sure it’s non-stick!

You will sauté the potatoes over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, and now is the time to pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees as well…

I added some chopped garlic in with the potatoes as well, along with a healthy amount of salt and pepper – the amount of clarified butter you use is a matter of taste, but at least several tablespoons…and I add a bit of olive oil as well – more oil will help ensure that the potato cake will caramelize int he oven and also come out of the pan easily…

After sautéing for 20-25 minutes on medium heat, the pan will look like this – and that is when you take it off the heat, and press the potatoes down evenly, so they look like a disc of goodness – and this is what you put into the oven!

Now, grab an oven mitt, because the pan will be hot! Here is what your cooked potato cake looks like when it comes out of the oven 25 minutes later:

What’s next is the most important part of the process – take a rubber spatula and gently glide it under your cake, all the way around the pan…this will loosen it up for the “flip” that is to come – that’s right, now you have to flip the cake, because the carmelized top is at the bottom right now!

Here is how I did it!

Again, this is your potato cake once you have flipped it over onto your serving plate…as you saw me do in the video, you add your raw chopped garlic and fresh parsley next:

Voila!

I’m very happy with how this potato cake turned out, and yes, it took a few attempts to get it right – I’ve had people help me with the “flip” and it’s just too awkward, so the key is a non-stick pan and good caramelization…and you will have this to enjoy!

Thanks to Chez L’Ami Louis for the incredible dish – and you can see our entire meal at Chez L’Ami Louis – and how they serve the $125 chicken in multiples stages – yes, the $125 CHICKEN! See our entire meal by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/04/20/chez-lami-louis-love-this-125-paris-chicken-garlic-potato-cake-rocks-too/

We love this bistro, as much as we love Paris – and the potatoes of Paris:

Yes, these are some cheesy potatoes, part of our last visit to Paris – here is how we tackled the “potatoes of Paris:”

https://johnrieber.com/2018/01/27/a-guide-to-the-potatoes-of-paris-baked-mashed-fried-roasted-cheesy-a-cake-as-well/

Of course, you may just want a more convenient meal, and I suggest this one:

See? The meat, potato and veg are all in one night slice! We what’s in this “TINNER” by clicking my story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2019/12/06/a-festive-christmas-tinner-a-full-single-canned-christmas-meal-what-the-friday-is-it-real-or-a-gag-hilarious-holiday-recipes/

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Happy holidays – leave me a message to let me know your favorite holiday dish – or TIN!

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