- [Food slapping on the table.]
That has got to stop.
- [Automated Voice] Alison Roman's
slow-roasted lamb slaps.
- Everyone's always snapping like, what are we,
in "West Side Story"? Stop. Hello everybody, welcome to "Home Movies." I'm Alison Roman and
today we are making a delicious, fantastic, easy, homey, elegant, elevated, holiday meal.
- Great.
- Candles, I don't know.
Non-denominational candles.
- Huh? Falling from the sky?
- Yeah. Yeah, I don't know how dangerous. Honestly, I'll level with you,
after this year's Thanksgiving spectacular, which you can watch here, I did not know that
I had it in me for any number of reasons to do, like, a full holiday video. I also got married
this year. I started a podcast. I opened a store, the Thanksgiving thing.
- Put out a book.
- Put out a book. Like, I did a lot this year. So
I sort of asked myself, do I really need to host, even in theory, like, a big holiday spectacular?
And the answer is probably not. Which is why that ham in that freezer will live to see another day.
What's the thing that I'm actually gonna do if I'm not gonna like reinvent the pig in a blanket? What
am I actually cooking? Like, when the time comes, when push comes to shove. Today I present to
you two dishes, you know, on a table full of, you know, a couple of other bits and bobs that
requires so little of you and give so much. It is impossible not to draw the connection between how
magical, like, the act of cooking is. You're like, "Oh, wow! Gentle heat over a long period of
time equals phenomenal?" Like, it boggles the mind. The first dish that we're talking about is
a beautiful slow-roasted lamb that is cooked in white wine and potatoes with some herbs and
garlic. And the potatoes end up tasting kind of like those Greek lemony potatoes. The lamb
is impossibly fall apart-y tender. Gorgeous, delicious. It's, you know, braised in, like, a
Dutch oven. It requires no searing. There's an entire bottle of wine and it goes overnight, like,
you put it in the oven and that's it. It goes for 10 to 12 hours. Same with our chickpeas. You put
the chickpeas in a pot, you cover it with water, lots of chili, lots of olive oil, sliced onion,
and it goes into the oven at the same time, and it cooks for about 10 to 12 hours. And both of these
things cook extremely low and slow. And if anybody questions, "How is that possible? Why would you
cook lamb for that long? Why would you cook a chickpea for that long?" 'Cause I don't wanna pay
attention right now. I don't want to babysit the food. I wanna put a bunch of stuff in a pot. I
wanna put the pots in the oven and then I wanna go to sleep. I wanna watch my stories. I wanna,
like, do something else. I don't wanna, like, be sitting here cooking and searing and ugh. Anyway,
so we'll show you what it's like to assemble and then what it looks like when it's out. And I can't
imagine a better way to, like, celebrate yourself and all the work that you've done than by doing
a little less work. We interrupt this episode of "Home Movies" to bring you a special thank you
from our sponsor this week. Maker's Mark. The holiday season is officially upon us and our
friends at Maker's Mark know that it can be very difficult to gift something that is not
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to order by December 3rd to make sure that this bottle reaches your loved ones in time.
- [David] Well, actually, someone, me, might have had a special bottle made for-
- Oh, my God! Wait, this is so sweet. Oh, David! It's to Alison and Max, my husband.
This is a really good gift, especially for someone if you're like, I don't know them,
like, I want them to think that I, like, have a connection with them, but, like, maybe
you don't, like, wanna get them a sweater. Like, I don't know. This says I took the time to do this
for you specifically. It's not generic, but also I don't know what size sweater you wear.
- That's true.
- The lamb and the potatoes, one dish, the
chickpeas being you can do whatever sort of starch. I like the idea that I'm using the oven
for more than one thing, because it makes me feel good about doing it for that long. And it's just,
like, a nice, I don't know, it feels meditative. My friend texted me and she's like, "What should
I cook?" And I told her she should make this lamb. And I sent her the recipe, which has not been
published before, and she told me that she took it out. She only cooked it for half the time, because
she was scared of doing it for as long as I said, because the guy at the butcher said that it wasn't
a good idea to cook lamb that long. Or she goes, the butcher. And I go, "Was the butcher a
man?" And she goes, "Yeah." And I was like, "Don't listen to men." I'm gonna put this lamb
in this pot. This is a standard, large Dutch oven. I'm gonna get about two pounds of potatoes
here. I'm only measuring 'cause I wanna make sure that I'm making the right amount. These Yukon
Gold potatoes are stunning. I don't know why, they're just like very pleasing to my eye. These
potatoes, I've done this both ways. I've peeled them, I've unpeeled them. I always like to peel
them. But last night when I was making this, I forgot, but it didn't seem to impact the
dish at all, which raised the question, why am I peeling them at all? I think it's 'cause
it feels kind of like fancy. Sometimes I'll do like a stripe pattern, and we are leaving them
pretty much as large as possible without just putting them in whole. If they're especially
large, this is maybe on the larger side. You can always sort of quarter them. And again, these
cook for a really long time. And the potatoes, like, meat is something we expect to cook for a
really long time. And we know kind of going in what it's gonna taste like. It's gonna be shreddy
and fall apart-y. This lamb ends up kind of being, like, brisket-y or, like, barb lamb barbacoa-y.
It's, like, just fatty and falling apart. Muah, so delicious. But the potatoes become like the most
interesting texture of all. Because these are waxy potatoes, not flowery potatoes, they get even
waxier and they get really firm, almost like they're cured. And it's difficult to describe
if you've not had them. But they're, like, I don't know, they're just kind of remarkable.
I think the acidity in the wine acidity with a potato kind of helps firm up whatever starches
are in there. And that's why often you'll find lots of wine in recipes for things like beef stew
or braises where there's carrots or potatoes. And it's that wine that prevents those carrots and
potatoes from becoming complete mush. And so by virtue of this fact that in this recipe it's
lamb, wine, potatoes, garlic, and that's it, the lamb and the potatoes are both like braising and
wine. And so the potatoes maintain their, like, sturdiness, their waxiness, their structure. It's
very special. So the first time I had this dish was in Greece, humble brag. And I say this dish,
it was lamb cooked in wine with potatoes. I'm not sure beyond that what was done. I know that the
woman that was cooking it in this restaurant, this taverna, was cooking it in this, like, large
pot that was almost, like, pressure cooker style, like, material, like, tin. And it was set over a
very, very gentle flame, but like, a bed of rocks that were hot. And it wasn't live fire, it was
just like hot rocks. I'm struggling to explain it, sounds like I made this up. I didn't, and when
I asked her what was in this dish, she was like, "It's just lamb, wine and potatoes." And maybe she
said oregano or something. I don't remember. I was like, "That's impossible. I've never had anything
that tastes like this." It haunted me, it was, like, the most wonderful thing that I had ever
tasted, and I couldn't really figure out what was so special about it. And the second I came home
from this trip, the next day, went and bought a lamb shoulder and potatoes and a bottle of wine,
and I was like, "I gotta figure this out." Like, I have to at least just try or, like, imagine what
this could be like, because I kept thinking about it. It tasted so delicious to me. And it was so
simple that, like, it just reminded me how cool cooking is and how, like, you don't really need
anything to make something truly spectacular. And it made me really emotional actually. 'Cause
I was was like, "Wow, cooking really is, like, primitive and emotional and simple and basic."
And if you do it well and give yourself the time and the patience, like, you'll be so greatly
rewarded. And I think we're so obsessed with more flavor and cooking things and cooking hacks
and doing it fast and, like, quick flavor in a short period of time. And like, now, now, now,
and you take something like this that's, like, four ingredients, but you give it 10 to 12 hours.
And your mind's kind of blown with how delicious it is. And you cannot recreate that with speed
or with more ingredients, or with a hack. Like, it just is, like, it just has to be, it just
has to cook for a really long time. So anyway, just, and travel log I guess. Okay, so in here,
potatoes, lamb, we have some pepper. I'm gonna put some garlic in here and some oregano. The
garlic, I'm just gonna cut like this per huge, because the cloves will pop out. They'll sort
of get mushy and jammy and melt into the sauce that creates with the lamb fat and the wine. And
then I'm gonna tuck in some oregano. You could use marjoram, you could use thyme, you could use
rosemary. As I've said before, I'm just not that into rosemary. I find it really aggressive
and really assertive in a way that is, like, pushy. And that's coming from like a pretty bossy
person. It's just too bossy for me. So I tucked in some oregano. It smells so good in here already.
I mean you can oversalt this, but know that in a matter of seconds I'm going to pour an entire
bottle of white wine over these ingredients. And this has obviously no salt in it. So you
wanna make sure that you are compensating.
- A little better.
- This is fun. So this is gonna go in our oven. And we're not gonna see it, touch
it, talk about it, fuss with it for at least 10 hours. Resist the urge, don't do it. Your house is
gonna smell incredible without you lifting the lid at all. So just let it do its thing. Trust the
process, and know that on the other side you're gonna be so dazzled by what this looks, tastes
and smells like that you are gonna struggle to cook any other way ever again. Okay, so for these
chickpeas, they're also going in. I'm using just, like, a regular. This is a three and a half
quart Dutch oven. The idea is that these beans or chickpeas need to be submerged by at least
four inches to work out. In here, I'm going bay leaf because I believe in the power of bay leaf.
I believe bay leaves taste like something. In this house, bay leaves tastes like herbaceous, grassy,
slightly verdant, eucalyptus-y. I'm getting koala, I'm getting good day mate. I don't know. I
think bay leaves do something, and there's a lot of you that don't, and that's fine. I also
believe in astrology and I'm not asking you to, but I'm asking you to allow me to. And because
this lamb is, like, pretty mild, it's, like, tangy, it's meaty, it's acidic. It's, you know,
waxy potatoes. This is gonna be more, like, spicy, brothy chickpea situation. And I'm making the
whole pound, because if you're gonna open the bag of chickpeas or beans, just make the whole pound.
You'll find ways to eat them throughout the week, you know, live a little. These also need quite a
bit of salt. And I'm gonna add about two teaspoons of finely ground chili, because I want these to
be spicy. I'm taking some onion. These I'm just cutting into, they're like quarter inch rings.
They're pretty thick and they're gonna float on top of our chickpea bath with some olive oil,
and as they cook they're gonna sink into the beans. All right, so chickpeas, chili, bay leaf.
You could add some crushed garlic in here if you wanted. And I'm adding like a solid, like, quarter
cup of olive oil here. A lot of flavors including that of chili and of things like bay leaf or other
herbs, those are fat soluble, meaning they're flavonoids. A real word, not to infantilize you,
but it sounds like a made up word. The flavonoids are activated by fat instead of water. There are
certain things that are water soluble and there are certain things that are fat soluble, but a
lot of flavor is fat soluble. So without the thick layer of olive oil, you're gonna kind of get like
a weak-tasting broth almost. And so that olive oil is, like, not only helping you with texture and
body of the finished product, but it's gonna, like, extract a lot more flavor than if you would
just use water. ♪ The more you know ♪ Another good pinch of chili for good measure. I just covered
it by about two inches of water. All right, so this is gonna go into our oven also. 275 for also
10 to 12 hours. And these are the kind of things, especially chickpeas, even more so than beans.
If they went 14 hours, they would honestly just continue to soak up flavor. The only risk you
run is them becoming too salty. So just kind of monitor that situation. So we'll see you in 10
to 12 hours. The only thing that goes better with lamb than potatoes or wine or chickpeas is an
anchovy. Absolute banger of a combination. And there's something about the, like, meatiness that
intensifies as it cooks and the saltiness that, like, mitigates the lambiness of the gaminess and
ness, ness, ness. So I'm going to do my greens, which again, very Grecian, to have just
like a beautiful side of sauteed or wilted greens with anchovy. I'm gonna cut these
stems out. These are dandelion greens, which I love and my acupuncturist said are very
good for your blood. All right, these are just gonna go quick. Olive oil, garlic, anchovy, melt
it, add your greens, wilt it, season with lemon, that's it. I'm gonna add the garlic to the oil.
Oil to the oil to get it start toasting while I strip the leaves from the Swiss chard. Dandelion
greens are great, I love them. They're bitter, they're not for everyone. If you know me, you
may know that I enjoy bitter flavors. I like the whole lemon, I love a negroni. I love artichokes,
I love anything that has like a bitterness to it. If that is not you, there's a chance you might not
like dandelion greens, which is fine. You could use all kale, you could use spinach. You could use
Swiss chard. For these, any of the leaves that I'm using, you just kind of wanna tear into bite-sized
pieces. The thing about doing this though, cooking these greens like down, down, down. So
like, evaporate the water is a really good idea, 'cause it concentrates the flavors, it just kind
of makes them, like, more intense. You end up with a lot less of the green, like, everything, like,
really shrinks down, but I think it's worth it. So this is about a bunch of dandelion greens and a
bunch of Swiss chard. This is to me like a really good side for four to six people. Should you have
leftover is great, but I don't think you will. This leaf is just absolutely massive. I'm gonna
toast the garlic, then I'm gonna add the anchovy. I'm gonna add, let's call it, half this jar.
- Oh, yeah.
- So watch the anchovy just like melt into
the oil. I know you've watched this happen before when I've made, like, pantry pasta or
faella pasta, blah, blah, blah. But this is just gonna be our oil that we're gonna wilt our
greens in. Just gonna make a nestle. You can turn the heat down. You don't want anything to
burn. And this will take, you know, some time, not as long as your lamb and your chickpeas, but.
And you can work in batches. So I'm gonna come over here and I'll tear my dandelion and add that.
I don't mind the stems of the dandelion. They're gonna stick out a little bit. As you'll see, I
cut off the, like, really, really long parts, but I left the ends here. It's just part of the
dandelion. All right, so I'm just gonna keep adding greens, keep wilting, keep adding greens,
keep wilting. And that's what's gonna happen until all the greens are added and they're all melted.
They'll all fit in the skillet, I know it. It sort of always feels like, should I have used a bigger
skillet? Well, guess what, folks? I don't have a bigger skillet and all my pots are in use.
So this is it. Do we have time for aioli?
- What's that?
- All things being equal with this meal, with the chick peas, the potatoes, the lamb, the
greens, do we want garlicky yogurt? Or do we want whole Greek yogurt with a little grated garlic in
there? Lemon juice swirled in, salt pepper, yum, yum. Or do we want beautiful aioli, olive
oil, canola oil, egg yolk, lemon juice, grated garlic, little anchovy, yum yum.
- [David] I'm not a Greek person, but the yogurt feels more Greek, no?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- [David] Let's do the yogurt.
- Yogurt, yogurt! Well, yogurt it is folks, you just saved yourselves approximately 14
minutes, though this isn't gonna be enough really. This is a tiniest cup of yogurt. But okay, so in
a perfect world you have more than this yogurt.
- [David] Of course, have you been .
- See how dry these are? The flavors are concentrated. They're, like, looking extremely
healthy. And see how much they shrank. Like, this was, like, four times as big. So
good. Wow! Garlicky, anchovy-y, bitter, tangy. I don't know why they're tangy, but they
are. I'm not making it up. If you were watching me ask the group if we wanted aioli or yogurt and
you were screaming aioli, you could just do that too. You could watch this video here. And I make
aioli and that's how I would do it for this. Oh, my god, this is coming out after Thanksgiving.
Did you guys have a good Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments below. This is so delicious.
Wow, okay, beautiful garlic sauce. Okay.
- Wow.
- So lamb-y, so delicious. Our lamb is beautiful and tender. It honestly tastes
almost like brisket. It's so, like, rich and fatty and delicious and wonderful. So plate it, it's
sort of like, you know, the meat will fall apart almost immediately. But these potatoes are also so
tender and, like, soaked in wine and kind of start to caramelize. Like, their texture really changes.
A long cooked potato like this in wine, it's kind of, like, unlike anything I've ever had. It's
like firm but waxy. Nothing in here was browned. This was just, like, the natural progression
of caramelization, et cetera, et cetera. Every time I make this and I post a photo of it, which
just made me sound like somebody's mom, people are like, "I want that recipe." And I was like, "I
don't know if it's like worth a recipe." Like, it's like a bottle of wine. It's lamb shoulder.
You could use leg of lamb. But then I was like, you know what? It really is. Because now this is
become, like, my favorite thing to make. And see how much or not much liquid is in this. It's
reduced a lot, even with the lid on. It feels kind of wild to wanna, like, top this with more
herbs, but because we roasted it with a oregano, I'm gonna do some more fresh oregano.
Dill, obviously, so good here. Parsley, cilantro. It could be kind of like a smattering of
herbs. If you don't have any herbs, that's okay. This is still, like, a very delicious, perfect
meal even without it. I'm sitting a table, I don't know, I want it to make it nice.
- [David] This is a really nice vibe.
- I'm actually having people over and they're
gonna eat all this. And because I'm like super hot to trot lately on calabrian chilies. I know
those aren't, you know, this isn't an exclusively Greek dinner, but they're like fermented little
chilies in a jar. You could use any chili paste you like. There's something about, like, the
warm, brothy chickpea with, like, a hit of that super spicy fermented chili at the end. That just
makes these like very enjoyable to me. But you can skip it. I like adding 'em after they're
cooked, not before. I know they're not fresh, but the flavor really changes once they're cooked.
It kind of mellows, it kind of shifts, it changes. It gets like a little less ferment-y, a little
less potent. So in an effort to keep them, like, pretty fiery and like that fresh fermented flavor,
I add them at the end. Mommy's juice. Yeah, I mean, I'm literally, when you guys all go home,
I'm doing this, people are coming over to eat this. So I feel like this, you know, when I was
thinking about like what I wanted to do for the holidays, I was like, I'm gonna do something that
I just really do. And I really do make this lamb and I tell other people to make this lamb. And to
me this is like the ideal, like, people are coming over to cook, what do I do? Yeah, and it's, like,
a no stress sort of, like, hosting thing that will make you look really good and make you look like
you did something really advanced when all you did was, well, you did, you showed patience. So
delicious, I can't get over these potatoes. Like, the lamb is incredible. But I love lamb. I was a
late in life lamb lover by the way. I just wanna go on record to say that. This wasn't something
that I was born with. I came into my own. I was like cooking in professional kitchens for a
really long time and did not like lamb. It was, like, only in the last, I'd say, like, seven,
eight years I came around to enjoying it, and now I love it. It's one of my favorite meats.
But I would say this is one of my favorite ways to cook it and eat it, because, I don't know, it's
just like's so succulent, so tender, so delish.
- It's amazing.
- It's so good. Yogurt was really the right move. And as always, thank you
so much to our good friends at Maker's Mark for sponsoring this week's episode of "Home Movies."
Is there something I'm supposed to say?
- No, no, no.
- Oh.
- [David] It's just more like bye-byes.
- [Dan] Maybe just a quick slap with all the plates.
- Everyone's always snapping. Like, what are we, in "West Side Story?" Like, I'm trying to figure
out a way to talk. Sorry, last thing I'll say. I'm trying to come up with a way to talk about TikTok
and like, food TikTok without coming across as so, like, get off my lawn or, like, judgmental, or
old, and, like, I just might be those things.
