Leg of Lamb with Roasted Pear and Pine Nut Relish

You can also serve the relish with roast beef, pork, or chicken. Prepare it up to two days in advance, but be sure to stir in the nuts just before serving so they stay crunchy. Embellish the platter with fresh pears, roasted onion wedges, lemon slices, and flat-leaf parsley.
Photo by: Becky Luigart-Stayner

YIELD: 18 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces lamb and about 3 tablespoons relish)
COURSE: Main Dishes
Ingredients
Relish:
6 firm ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
1 medium Rio or other sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Lamb:
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 garlic cloves
1 small onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 (5-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare relish, arrange pears in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange onion slices in a single layer in another 13 x 9-inch baking dish; lightly coat onion slices with cooking spray. Bake pears and onion slices at 400° for 40 minutes or until tender, turning once. Cool; chop.
Combine 2 teaspoons rind and next 7 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon black pepper) in a large bowl; add chopped onion and pears, tossing gently to combine. Stir in nuts just before serving.

To prepare lamb, combine 1 tablespoon lemon rind and next 10 ingredients (through onion wedges) in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Roll roast, and secure at 3-inch intervals with twine. Spread the onion mixture over lamb; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Place lamb on the rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 300° (do not remove lamb from oven); bake an additional 1 hour or until thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve relish with lamb.