Zinfandel-Braised Leg Of Lamb

• 1 (2 1/2-pound) boneless leg of lamb
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice, crushed
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup zinfandel or other fruity dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups hot cooked egg noodles (about 4 3/4 cups uncooked pasta)

1. Unroll lamb; trim fat. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reroll lamb; secure at 1-inch intervals with twine. Sprinkle evenly with flour. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb to pan; cook 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Place lamb in an electric slow cooker. Add juniper berries, allspice, and garlic to pan; cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned. Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Scrape wine mixture into cooker; add basil and bay leaves. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until lamb is tender.
2. Remove lamb from cooker; keep warm. Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper to cooking liquid; stir. Remove twine from lamb, and discard. Break lamb into chunks with 2 forks. Serve lamb and cooking liquid over egg noodles.
3. Wine note: With jammy fruit and light tannins, zinfandel makes a great wine for cooking. Choose something you'll relish drinking with the dish, like Francis Coppola Director's Cut Zinfandel 2005 ($22). Bursting with raspberry and cherry flavors, the peppery notes of this wine are a good match for the spicy, herbal qualities of the sauce, while the modest tannins are perfect with leaner red meat. -Jeffery Lindenmuth
4. MyRecipes is working with
5. , the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit
6. .

lamb, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, flour, olive oil, juniper berries, whole allspice, garlic, zinfandel, basil, bay leaves, hot cooked egg noodles

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/zinfandel-braised-leg-of-lamb (may not work)