Ingredients:

For stuffed saddle of lamb

• 6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon chopped onion
• 3 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
• 1 pound Swiss chard, stems and tough center
• ribs removed, washed, and cut into thin strips
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 clove garlic, peeled, split, germ removed and finely chopped
• 4 pieces tomato confit*
• 1 Tablespoon pine nuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 side saddle of lamb (Have butcher remove all excess fat, the long flat flank sections, and the bone, which the butcher should cut into 1-inch segments for use in preparing sauce.)
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  
  For vegetable medley
• 8 stalks asparagus, peeled and trimmed
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound small fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
• 1/2 sprig rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 California carrots, peeled, trimmed, cut in half on bias
• 3 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
  
  For sauce
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Reserved lamb saddle bone
• 2 tomatoes cut in half
• 1 carrot, peeled
• ½ head of garlic
  Bouquet garni (4 sprigs chervil, 4 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme, and 6 black peppercorns, tied in cheesecloth)
• 1 sprig rosemary
• ½ bay leaf
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup unsalted beef stock or low-sodium beef broth
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

Method:

For lamb:
Warm 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but without any color. Add chanterelles and cook for 3 minutes. Add Swiss chard and garlic, season with salt and cook, stirring frequently until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato confit and pine nuts and toss all the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper; cool. Squeeze vegetable mixture until all the excess water is removed.

Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Spread the lamb saddle on a work surface and butterfly to a 1-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Spoon the Swiss chard stuffing down the length of the saddle in a compact log, then roll meat up tightly around stuffing. Tie lamb at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.

Warm remaining olive oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the saddle to pan and sear until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, turning meat to brown evenly. Remove saddle from pan, wrap in aluminum foil and return to the roasting pan. Add the butter to the pan, slide the pan into the oven, and roast for 8 minutes, basting occasionally. Give the saddle a half-turn and roast for 7 minutes more. The internal temperature of the saddle should reach 150°F when done. Transfer lamb to a warm plate and let rest for 7 minutes. While the lamb is roasting, prepare vegetables and sauce.

For vegetable medley:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Place asparagus in the boiling water and simmer until it can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, about 3 to 4 minutes for medium asparagus and 6 to 7 minutes for jumbo. Gently lift asparagus out of the pot and shock under cold running water. When cool, pat dry between kitchen towels. Cut each stalk in half on the diagonal.

In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat and cook to a light golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium. Add potatoes and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, while stirring and basting the potatoes. Add carrots and cook for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring and basting vegetables. Add chanterelle mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Toss in the asparagus and cook just long enough to reheat it. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For sauce:
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add saddle bones and cook for 20 minutes, while stirring. Add tomatoes, carrot, garlic, bouquet garni, rosemary, and bay leaf and cook for 7 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and cook until almost all the liquid in pan has evaporated. Add beef stock and reduce by half. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Return sauce to pan and whisk in butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve:
Remove string from lamb and cut into 8 slices. Divide vegetables among four warm dinner plates. Place 2 stuffed saddle slices on top of the vegetables. Spoon sauce around lamb.

* For tomato confit, preheat oven to 225°F. Blanch a large plum tomato in boiling water. Peel, quarter, and remove seeds and membranes. Arrange tomato pieces on a greased baking sheet. Add garlic clove and thyme branch. Sprinkle with a Tablespoon extra-virging olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Bake 2 hours uncovered, turning once after the first hour. The tomato will shrink and dry slightly but should remain plump and moist. Remove and cool. Tomato confit can be stored, if refrigerated, for up to one week.

Wine Pairing:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Provenance 1999