A stuffed lamb leg for Shy

I cooked dinner for a very demanding woman the other evening. Her name is... Doesn't matter. You may know her as Shyster Jersey Lawyer Friend.

Shy likes her meat red. And so for her birthday dinner what was I gonna feed her, sanddabs?

This is a woman who you want on your side, at all times, if you catch my drift. One evening a while back I put a grilled chicken breast in front of my friend Shy and... Let's just say that the next day I found myself alone and dealing with an especially ugly negotiation, as the lady somehow failed to recall that her shysterly presence had been very much required.

Red meat was the only plausible option for this birthday celebration, don't you agree?

Rolled Lamb with Pecorino, Mint and Artichoke Stuffing is a recipe that comes from a restaurant in Rome called Sora Lella. I found it in a cookbook that I like a lot, Cook Italy, by Katie Caldesi.

So, you've got your boneless and butterflied leg of lamb, about a five pounder, all stretched out and seasoned with salt and pepper.

First you set down a layer of sliced Pecorino Romano.

Then 30 whole mint leaves.

And, lastly, two chopped garlic cloves and a 10-ounce jar of marinated (quartered here) artichoke hearts.

Roll it up and tie it real nice.

Sear all sides in a hot pan with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Remove the lamb to an ovenproof casserole and deglaze the pan using two cups of dry white wine.

Then pour what's in the pan into the casserole with the lamb and add 1 1/4 cups of water. Cover and place in the oven preheated to 475 F for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 F and cook for another 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook another 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Shy seemed to like it, and that's all that mattered to me.

I'm gonna need her to show up at a thing with me pretty soon, y'know?