I love lamb. Lamb roast, lamb chops, lamb stew, lamb ragu…I could keep going for a while. I think it is a really underutilized protein for home cooks, but I’m not exactly sure why. I mean, it cooks just like beef and is often more tender than many beef cuts. And it’s not necessarily any more expensive than beef. Today I give you two levels of lamb that are sure to impress!
Basic Lamb Chops:
6 double or single cut lamb chops
3 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Preheat your broiler or grill.
Let the chops sit on your counter for about 20 minutes.
If using the broiler, arrange the chops on your oiled broiler pan and lightly salt and pepper each one.
Remove the leaves (needles?) from your rosemary sprigs and place a few on the meat side of each chop.
Lightly drizzle each chop with olive oil.
Place in the oven and let them broil for about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Let them rest for about another 10 minutes and serve.
If you are grilling the chops, 5 minutes on each side on a hot grill should suffice for a nice, medium-rare chop.
As you can see, this takes little to no effort and will look really fancy when you serve them. I like to pair them with the potato gratin from a few posts ago or just a nice salad.
Be careful with the broiler. Don’t wander too far away as they will cook very quickly, especially if you are using the single cut chops. Peek through your oven window after the first 5 minute of broiling to make sure they are not burning, as they will cook through extremely fast.
Butterflied Lamb Roast:
1 3-4 lb lamb leg roast, boneless
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cloves minced garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
Special tools: Butcher’s twine, roasting pan.
When you buy the leg roast, ask the butcher to butterfly it for you. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can do it yourself. Tutorial here. It’s for a pork roast, but it will work with any roast.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and dried herbs and spices. Stir them together to combine. Set aside.
In a food processor, process the fresh garlic and rosemary with a pinch of salt, until the garlic forms a paste. The rosemary will pretty much retain its shape, so don’t worry about that.
Unroll your butterflied roast and spread the garlic and rosemary paste on the top side.
Roll the roast, with the paste inside, and tie with the twine.
Spread the dried herb and spice mixture on a large, clean cutting board and roll the tied roast through it. The mixture should stick to the meat and coat it.
Place the the roast in your roasting pan and roast in the oven for about an hour and 20 minutes. If you have a larger roast, calculate about 2o minutes per pound for medium rare.
Let the roast rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
dispatches from a tiny kitchen 