Provençal Rotisserie Leg of Lamb

Ingredients

MARINADE
4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
½ cup lightly packed fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 boneless leg of lamb, about 6 pounds, trimmed of nearly all fat

2 cans (each 19 ounces) cannellini beans, drained
1 cup ½-inch-diced plum tomatoes
½ cup thinly sliced black or green olives
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

In a food processor combine the marinade ingredients. Process until pureed; pour the marinade into a large bowl. Add the lamb to the marinade, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.

Remove the lamb from the bowl and reserve the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil for one full minute. Remove from the heat and reserve. Roll and tie the leg of lamb with butcher’s twine.

Prepare the grill for rotisserie cooking over indirect heat. If your gas grill has one, turn on the infrared burner to low and set the outer burner control knobs to low heat. The temperature of the grill should be around 400°F (you may need to adjust the outer burners to medium heat).

Carefully slide one pronged fork into the spit, with the tines facing inward, about 10 inches from the end of the spit. Secure the fork but do not tighten at this time. Slide the spit through the center of the roast and gently push the roast onto the fork tines so that they are deep inside the roast. Add the other pronged fork to the spit with the tines facing inward and slide down until they are firmly imbedded into the roast. Secure the fork, but do not completely tighten at this time. Wearing barbecue mitts, place the pointed end of the spit into the rotisserie motor. If necessary, adjust the roast so that it is centered on the spit and tighten the fork into place. Turn on the motor to begin the rotisserie.

Grill the roast until the internal temperature reaches 145º, about 1½ hours, basting the lamb with the reserved marinade every 20 minutes. To check the temperature, turn off the rotisserie motor and insert a thermometer into the center of the roast. Wearing barbecue mitts, carefully remove the spit from the grill. Gently loosen the forks and slide the roast off the spit. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for about 20 minutes before carving (the temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees during this time).

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the beans until heated through. Add the tomatoes, olives, oil, parsley, and vinegar and mix well. Serve warm with the sliced lamb.