A Bright and Spring Forward Passover Menu

For Passover this year, I’m cooking up a festive meal that highlights spring’s bounty as well as my North African roots. One of the menu’s centerpieces is a show-stopping harissa roasted lamb shoulder, it’s a low effort dish that delivers bold flavor on the dinner table. There’s also slow roasted chicken with leeks, preserved lemon, and olives that’s inspired by the Moroccan tagines I grew up with.

The menu:

• HARISSA ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER

• SLOW ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEEKS, PRESERVED LEMON, AND OLIVES

• STUFFED ARTICHOKES WITH BEEF, SWISS CHARD , AND FAVA BEANS

• LEMON AND OREGANO ROASTED POTATOES

• CELERY, FENNEL, AND KOHLRABI SALAD

Artichokes are synonymous with springtime for me, so I will be serving stuffed artichokes with beef, Swiss chard, and fava beans. And to round out the meal there are tangy Greek-style lemony roasted potatoes and a crispy celery, fennel, and kohlrabi salad.

As with all of my holiday menus I encourage you prepare these dishes together. Each dish is on the menu with the intention of being enjoyed with one another. That said, feel free to prepare whichever recipes suit your dinner (or lunch!) table best. Also, the recipes can comfortably serve 8 to 10 people if made together as a meal. I included make ahead tips to the recipes that you can prepare in advance.

Happy cooking!

Arielle

Serves 8-10

1 (6-8 pound) piece bone-in lamb shoulder
3 yellow onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, halved
1 bunch fresh thyme
3 tablespoons store-bought harissa paste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Brush the harissa paste all over the lamb and transfer the lamb onto a large roasting pan.

Arrange the onions, peppers, garlic, and thyme around the lamb in the pan. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper and then drizzle about 3-4 tablespoons of oil over everything. Pour 3/4 cup of water into the pan.

Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil and roast the lamb in the oven until it falls apart easily with a fork, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Make Ahead: You can prepare the lamb and vegetables in the roasting pan a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator to marinate in the harissa overnight. You can also prepare the lamb from start to finish up to 2 days before serving it. Store the lamb in the refrigerator until the day you are serving it. Reheat the lamb in a 350°F oven until it is hot.