Lamb Marbella

Total Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus additional for browning meat
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup pitted spanish green olives
• 1/2 cup capers with a bit juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 head garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small handful oregano and thyme (fresh, finely chopped)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 -3 lbs lamb tenderloin
• 1 cup dry wine, plus more for deglazing the pan
• low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Recipe

• 1 combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. add the lamb and stir to coat. cover the bowl or transfer contents to a big ziploc bag and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.
• 2 heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• 3 remove the lamb and wipe it off, reserving the marinade. in a medium roasting pan, over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and brown lamb on all sides, for a few minutes total. remove lamb to a plate and add a couple of splashes of wine to the pan to deglaze the tasty bits. turn off heat.
• 4 place the lamb back in the pan. pour marinade, olives and all, over the meat and add 1 cup of wine and enough of the chicken stock so the liquid reaches halfway up the sides of the meat. sprinkle lamb with the brown sugar.
• 5 roast, basting once with the pan juices, until an instant read thermometer reads 140, 15 to 20 minutes. remove to a cutting board. let lamb rest for 5 minutes.
• 6 meanwhile, place the roasting pan over one or two burners on medium high and simmer to reduce the sauce a bit.
• 7 slice the lamb into medallions. (great served over a puddle of soft polenta. use instant polenta, but add twice the amount of liquid called for on the box: a mix of half milk, half water. after cooking, season with salt and whisk in several tablespoons of butter and a handful or two of freshly grated parmesan.).
• 8 spoon a good amount of polenta onto each plate and place medallions on top. sauce the lamb and pass the remaining juice in a gravy boat.