Favorite Lamb Recipes

Favorite Lamb Recipes 2014
Tips for Cooking Grass-Fed Lamb
Grassfed lamb has less fat and more flavor than your typical New Zealand or grain-­‐fed animal. For these reasons, you want to rub it well with oil and spices, and cook it on a low to medium heat, leaving it quite rare. If you prefer meat well done, cook at a low temperature in a sauce to add moisture. A slow cooker is ideal. Very lean cuts like the loin chops or leg of lamb can benefit from a marinade. We like strong spices with lamb: Dijon, garlic, tarragon and lemon; or cumin, anise, ginger and paprika are favorite combinations. Grassfed lamb cooks about 30 percent faster than other lamb. Use a thermometer to test for doneness and watch the temperature carefully. You can go from perfectly cooked to overdone in less than a minute. The meat will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat, so when it reaches a temperature ten degrees lower than the desired temperature, it’s done. When grilling burgers, use caramelized onions or roasted peppers to add low-­‐fat moisture to the meat. When roasting, sear the meat in a hot pan first to lock in moisture and then place in a pre-­‐heated oven. Mongolian Leg of Lamb
Use boneless lamb or shoulder roast for this recipe (or take the bone out yourself, and use for a beautiful broth). At least 24 hours before cooking, plan on having your meat thawed and ready to marinate: Open up the roast (“butterflied”) and spread meat generously on both sides with coarsely chopped garlic, star anise, and hoisin sauce. Roll it back up and tie securely in two or three places with butcher string. Sprinkle with coarse salt and cracked pepper. Leave in refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place roast on a shallow roasting pan. Use meat thermometer and take out when lamb is around 140 degrees F. Let rest at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Moroccan Lamb Kebabs
For this recipe you can use stew meat, or you can cube a leg of lamb or shoulder roast. Serves 4. • 1/2 cup olive oil • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice • 6 large garlic cloves, minced • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint • 2 teaspoons salt • 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel • 1 teaspoons ground black pepper • 1 teaspoons ground coriander • 2 teaspoons ground cumin • 2 pounds lamb, cut into 2-­‐inch cubes • 8 12-­‐inch-­‐long metal skewers • 16 dried apricots, soaked in hot h2o 5 min • 2 red onions, each cut into 8 chunks Whisk first 9 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add lamb. Marinate 2 hours at room temperature or cover and refrigerate overnight. Prepare barbecue or oven (medium-­‐high heat). Thread lamb cubes onto skewers. Thread apricots and onion chunks alternately on remaining skewers. Brush all skewers with some of reserved marinade. Sprinkle skewers with salt and pepper. Grill about 8-­‐
10 minutes for medium-­‐rare. Serve with couscous. Shepherd’s Pie • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped • 1 pound ground lamb • 1 cup vegetable broth • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry rosemary • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas • 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1/2 cup milk • salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil, then add onion, carrot, and lamb. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the fat and add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add peas. Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-­‐quart baking dish; set aside. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender; drain. Mash potatoes with butter, milk, and salt. Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Slow Cooker Braised Lamb Shanks Braised in a slow cooker while you are at work or busy elsewhere, these lamb shanks are falling-­‐off-­‐
the-­‐bone tender. Serve with buttery egg noodles, mashed potatoes or creamy polenta to soak up the flavorful sauce. Ingredients: • 1 yellow onion, diced • 2 celery stalks, diced • 2 carrots, peeled and diced • 3 garlic cloves, crushed • 2 cups chicken stock • 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes • 2 Tbs. tomato paste • 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme • 1 bay leaf • 4 lamb shanks, external fat trimmed • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste • 2 Tbs. olive oil • 1 cup red wine Directions: Put the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-­‐high heat, warm the olive oil until nearly smoking. Add the shanks and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker. Remove the sauté pan from the heat, pour in the wine and return to medium-­‐high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Add the wine to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours according to the manufacturers instructions. Transfer the lamb shanks to a large serving dish. Remove the bay leaf from the cooking liquid. Using a blender or stick blender, puree the liquids and solids until smooth. Pour some of the sauce over the shanks and pass the rest alongside. Serves 4. Williams-­‐Sonoma Kitchen. 10-­‐Minute Rosemary Lamb Chops 4 (3 or 4-­‐ounce) lamb chops 1/4 cup extra-­‐virgin olive oil 2 cloves minced garlic 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves zest of ½ lemon 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes Mix ingredients together in a bowl, then spread this paste on the chops. Ideally, do this in the morning and let them sit in the fridge all day, then bring to room temperature before cooking. Or, if you have to make a quick dinner simply thaw chops by soaking them still in their plastic bag in warm water, then rub them with marinade and let sit for a few minutes. Then grill on high heat on grill or in oven (400 °) for 4 mins a side. Don’t overcook!
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