Whether you’re cooking Easter dinner, lunch or brunch, it can be an intimidating meal to prepare. Especially since most Easter meals either include some sort of Pinterest-worthy appetizers shaped like bunnies, flowers or eggs; or it includes a 5-star meal — usually either lamb or ham. There is no easy middle-ground.
So let’s navigate together through this seemingly impossible task of cooking the perfect Easter meal.
Tip #1: Don’t be afraid!
Breathe in, breathe out. It will all be okay. After all, these are your family and friends. They’ll still love you even if the ham is dry or the vegetables are burned. Just don’t mess with dessert — people take their pie very seriously.
We decided to make an herb-stuffed lamb for this Easter recipe. Lamb happens to be one of my favorite meats, so any excuse to eat it, I will take! And to keep the lamb from drying out, we cooked it on a Cedar grilling plank (bonus: It adds smoky flavor! Yum!).
After soaking the plank and creating a delicious herb paste, I filled the lamb with the mixture and tied it with string. Then, I added even more herb paste on the outside of the wrapped-up lamb. I’ve never made herb-stuffed lamb before, so this was a new adventure for me, but the paste was easy to make and looks so pretty! So, of course, tip #2 is all about being adventurous.
Tip #2: Try Something New
What better opportunity to try something new than when you have a fun, big dinner planned with your friends and family? Spend some time researching recipes you’ve never tried before and just go with it. This new recipe might just become a new Easter tradition!
Tip #3: Use Cool Cooking Gadgets!
Whether you’re using a new Bluetooth meat thermometer, a Himalayan pink salt block or grilling planks — using kitchen tools and gadgets make your life easier and your food more delicious.
In our recipe, we used a Cedar wood plank for flavor and to keep the meat moist.
When using wood planks, they are traditionally cooked on a grill. But if you don’t want to brave the weather yet for Easter, they can also be cooked in the oven. Just place an aluminum-foil-lined cookie sheet on the bottom rack and the plank on the top rack. This will help catch any drippings and leave your oven so clean, your guests will wonder how you do it all!
Tip #4: It’s all in the Presentation!
Now that you have cooked a 5-star meal, don’t downplay it with boring table decorations. Whether you’re using fresh flowers to brighten up the space, new plates, or serving your food directly from the plank (like us), make your table setting special.
And if you’re still looking for that perfect Easter Dinner recipe, here is our complete Cedar Planked Herb-Stuffed Lamb recipe.
