Roasted Lamb Lollipops with Salsa Verde + 2016 St. Supéry Dollarhide Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon #Sponsored

   This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of St. Supéry.
Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.

However, all opinions expressed here are my own. 

After working with St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery* for #MerlotMe last autumn, when I shared Lebanese Lubyi, Turkish Bazlama, and 2016 St. Supéry Rutherford Merlot, I was invited to join them for a series of collaborative posts throughout 2021. What fun!

Their #InJoy series started this month, but I was late to the party so I missed the first week when they tasted the 2016 Dollarhide Elevation with Spring Vegetables and Lamb Loin. Still, I had the wine, so I decided to make the salsa verde recipe from Estate Chef Tod Kawachi and use it on a roasted rack of lamb for our anniversary dinner. Happy twenty-first to me and Jake! I am actually loving these shelter-in-place celebrations of the past year.

St. Supéry's Dollarhide Estate Ranch

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery, located in the renowned Rutherford region in the heart of Napa Valley, is sustainably farmed and 100% estate-grown. They are certified Napa Green Land as well as Napa Green Winery and fully committed to supporting biodiversity and sustainability. And in the northeastern hills of Napa lies their Dollarhide Estate Ranch, a valley within a valley that is comprised of over 1500 acres with only a third of that dedicated to vines. 

With only about 500 acres as vineyards, the remaining land flourishes in its natural state with an array of flora and fauna including waterfowl, raptors, rabbits, foxes, otters, and more. And the ranch is also home to over 1000 heirloom fruit trees with nearly 200 different varieties, including peaches, nectarines, apples, plums, and pluots. 

This wine, to me, is the quintessential California Cabernet Sauvignon; it's big and bold with an inky pour that's heavy on the black fruit aromas such as blackberries, plums, and boysenberry. On the palate, there are pronounced flavors of black licorice and coffee. This is not a subtle wine, but it's not too fruit-heavy either.

I don't find myself picking up Napa Cabs very often because they are typically outside my price range for an everyday wine - this bottle, for example, retails for $85 - and many versions are just too jammy for my tastes. But this wine turned out to be a beautiful expression of  a Cabernet Sauvignon and is priced for a celebration wine. It was a nice addition to our anniversary dinner.

On the Plate

salsa verde adapted from the recipe courtesy of Estate Chef Tod Kawachi 

on the winery's website: here

Inspired by the Dukkah-Roasted Carrots with Lime-Tahini Yogurt I posted earlier - and with some spice blend still left in my jar of Villa Jerada's Dukkah that I picked up at local-to-me The Quail & Olive in Carmel Valley - I rubbed the dukkah on my racks of lamb. And  I adapted Chef Tod's salsa verde to what I had on-hand.

Ingredients 

serves 4 as an entree or 8 as an appetizer

Lamb

• 2 racks of lamb
• 6 Tablespoons dukkah spice blend
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• olive oil
• Also needed: roasting pan with a rack that fits inside

Salsa Verde

• 1 cup chopped herbs (I used parsley, oregano, thyme, and cilantro)
• 1/3 cup Spring onions, trimmed and minced
• zest and juice from 2 organic lemons
• 2 Tablespoons chopped pickles (I used cornichons)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• pinch of red pepper chile flakes, optional

For Serving

• roasted potatoes
• roasted beets
• blood oranges
• carrot ribbons
• sunflower sprouts
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Lamb

Divide the dukkah evenly over the two racks of lamb; I used 2 Tablespoons on the meaty side of hte rack and 1 Tablespoon on the bony side. Massage the spices into the lamb. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place lamb on a roasting rack with the fat-side up. Roast for 30 minutes, then flip the rack over and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into lollipops. 

Salsa Verde

Wash, dry, and chop the herbs. Chop the pickles and Spring onions. Place all of those in a mixing bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add red chile pepper flakes if you like.

For Serving

Arrange the roasted potatoes and beets on a platter. Place the lamb lollipops around the veggies. Scatter carrot ribbons, blood orange segments, and sunflower sprouts over the top. Spoon salsa verde over the top and serve the remainder in a bowl on the side. Serve immediately.

The series will return on April 1st as we open up a bottle of the 2019 Napa Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc, serve up some beet-stained eggs, and talk about tomatoes in the garden. Stay tuned.

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*Disclosure: I received compensation in the form of wine samples for recipe development and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.