Lamb, How do You Cook it?

[Passadumkeg]

We are among that small minority that our commercial meat of preference is lamb. Last night grilled lamb chops. Tonight shashliki or shish-ka-bobs. I chunk the meat and marinate it in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, pepper & red pepper flakes. I make a mean shepherd's pie, Norwegian forre kol or cooked w/ cabbage, Persian leg of lamb and other styles of leg of lam, especially butterflied on the grill, Indian lamb, spinach and yogurt curry and other curries,Morocan lamb stew and other stews, Turkish lamb sausage, kibbe, donner kabobs, Gyros, and Navajo lamb posole, to name a few. What are your favorite lamb preparations? Don't be sheepish, tell me. Be a lamb.
edit.: lamb, barley & mushroom soup in the winter amd BBQ ribs and smoked lamb steak, ribs and leg.

[brooktroutchaser]

Mark Bittman's recipe for a rack of lamb with parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs and olive oil is my usual; I roast small potatoes coated in olive oil for about 25 minutes, then place the lamb on top and roast another 23-25 minutes. 425 oven. I can often find a one lb. rack at Trader Joe's. But I also like loin chops. Coat with olive oil and a bit of fresh rosemary. Then turn on the oven. Heat a cast iron pan until it is really hot. Turn on the broiler. Place the oven rack on the second highest level and add chops to pan. The hot pan helps 'em cook. 4 min., then flip, 1 min. more, then let rest 5-7 minutes. Perfectly done.

[Harters]

Lamb is also my first preference meat. We're fortunate in being surrounded by lamb growing hill counties so can easily buy good quality, usually direct from the farmer. And, often, hogget and mutton as well.

It's the most versatile of meats featuring, as it does, in many cuisines. So, simple roasts of the leg or shoulder. Finger licking roasted breast. Stews and casseroles from Europe, the Middle East or the Indian sub-continent. Minced lamb again goes into local rissoles, kebabs or pies. A chop simply cooked under the grill. Well-trimmed leftovers on a sandwich with a home-made fruity chutney.

I'd hate to be without a bit of dead sheep in the house.

[Passadumkeg]

I have a sirloin end leg of lamb defrosting in the fridge. I going to try smoking it tomorrow.

[dave_c]

I'm drooling reading through this thread and I just finished lunch! My wife and in-laws hate lamb so I haven't had lamb in a couple years (when they went on a road trip).

My favorite is to marinade loin or shoulder chops in lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and garlic.

[LindaWhit]

Leg of lamb was always my birthday dinner growing up; not easy to find in a suburban supermarket in the autumn. Mom loved me and would try and remember to get an additional one at Easter and freeze it. :-) I love roasted leg of lamb - olive oil, lots of minced garlic, minced rosemary, salt and pepper.

Leftover lamb used in a lamb and barley stew or shepherd's pie.

Grilled lamb chops or lamb steaks - can be lemon juice, garlic, oregano, oil, salt and pepper or using various rubs for grilling that include ground sumac. Ground lamb in meatballs or burgers.

Lamb shanks cooked low and slow until fall off the bone and oh-so-tender.

I.
LOVE.
LAMB.

[keencook1]

Love lamb to bits. All ways, cuts, all the time. Has to be pink though, which is why I love a butterflied leg of lamb (marinated) on the grill, so you'll get rare as well as medium. With grilled leftovers, I make lamb curry, moussaka, or shepherd's pie. Have gone off Australian/NZ lamb, as it seems way too gamy now after feasting on American lamb from meat CSA. Pity, as I did enjoy the marinated rack of NZ lamb from Trader Joe's.

[linguafood]

The same marinade we use for shish kebabs can be used for lamb loin or chops from the leg. Grill med-rare... squeeze of lemon. Taste of summer.

[buttertart]

Roast leg, rare; butterflied leg, pan-grilled, rare, or well-done in a curry or cover-baked Indian spice rub; the occasional navarin (Julia); braised shanks; loin or rib chops, rare; the occasional rack, pan-browned and briefly roasted. Tried TJ's premarinated rack and didn't like it AT ALL, nasty musty herbs. I try to get as much of the fat as possible off all cuts before cooking.

[nomadchowwoman]

I din't grow up eating lamb either--my mom hated it (though I suspect she was probably remembering eating mutton)--but once I had it, I was hooked.
We eat a lot of chops--loin and rib--simply grilled and served w/lemon wedges; sometimes I rub them first w/dijon, garlic, and herbs. I buy legs often, cube the meat, and package it for the freeze, so it's ready for any number of Indian preparations. Also love lamb kebabs. I love leftover lamb in pita or naan or ciabatta w/mint mayonnaise or sriracha-spiked mayo. Have a wonderful recipe for lamb meatballs w/golden raisins and pine nuts. A friend makes a delicious dish of minced lamb w/peas and a bit of mint.
Lamb. Mmmm.

[Cherylptw]

I didn't grow up eating lamb but I was "gifted" a leg of lamb about 5 years ago & I marinated it in olive oil, garlic, thyme, cumin & mint then grilled & made gyros with it and it was so delicious that it peaked my curiosity for more. Unfortunately, lamb cuts are hard to come by in my neck of the woods...NC spells pork country but in addition to the leg, I can get some chops, stew meat & ground. I made an awesome lamb burger a couple weeks ago...wish I could get lamb ribs...everytime I read about those, my mouth waters....I don't recall any of my family ever cooking lamb when I was growing up and when I bring lamb up, like if we're having a family dinner, they kind of brush me off but my two boys (men actually) like it.

[mcsheridan]

In the winter, lamb stew (sometimes with potatoes, occasionally with barley; but always with lots of carrots and a couple of parsnips) or shepherd's pie. Anytime, a quick version of Mongolian Lamb using ground lamb instead of leg or shank meat (lamb and scallions just go together over rice), or lamb burgers; sometimes I go for Middle Eastern style with tzatziki sauce in pitas, sometimes what I really crave is the lamb mixed with mushrooms on ciabatta rolls.
If I'm craving lamb but I'm feeling a little lazy, then it's lamb chop or lamb steak, broiled or pan-fried with mint jelly.

On the outside, I look for good gyro places or any restaurant serving a decently prepared leg of lamb on the specials menu. If there's any lamb dish on the menu anywhere, I'm likely to gravitate toward it. :)

[Passadumkeg]

Ditto w/ lamb on menu's. Hard to find up here, though. The lamb, mushroom, ciabatta sounds great, I'm gonna make it. I do lamb & green chiles (fresh roasted, not canned) rolled in a flour tortilla.
Lamb chops and fried eggs for a heart stoppingly good breakfast.

[mcsheridan]

OMG...lamb chops and eggs. I never even Thought of that one! Kicks steak and eggs on its rear-end. :D

[linguafood]

Lamb sweetbreads are a nice change of pace from calf's sweetbreads. You get that lamby flavor in that lovely texture.... mmmmmmm.

[souschef]

Now you got me REALLY interested. I have never seen them in the stores; I should look for them. I love calf sweetbreads, but only when cooked correctly, i.e. braised. I have had them in restaurants that deep-fried them, destroying the creamy texture in the process, or pan-frying them, in which case the chef should not have bothered. I only have them at home now; in my (not so) humble opinion, the best I have had is what I make.

[linguafood]

I haven't seen lamb sweetbreads in stores either (not in the US or Germany, tho I haven't been to any 'specialty' butchers around here - there's a much-awarded blood sausage maker nearby that I should check out some time soon), but the calf ones are practically given away at our local Wegmans. I find them such a pain in the ass to prepare that I only ever order them in the resto (plus, my man is not a fan).

I love the pan-fried, actually, and while I have had them overdone, that's still my favorite prep. But I'm curious about braised sweetbreads now....

[souschef]

Pan-fried does not come anywhere close to braised. When braised they are wonderfully creamy.

A restaurant in Montreal once made a paté of them, managing to retain the creamy texture; I was in heaven! I tried to replicate it by pureeing braised sweetbreads with the sauce; I did not succeed, unfortunately.

Once you have had braised there is no going back.

[c oliver]

Care to share a recipe?

[souschef]

Sure, but will have to wait till I get home Monday.

[souschef]

Here's the recipe, taken from the book "French Cookery School" by Anne Willan and Jane Grigson.

I am leaving out the garnishes as they are irrelevant, and as well the original recipe uses "beurre manié" (a mixture of butter and flour) to thicken the sauce. I hate sauces thickened with flour, so I use whipping cream instead. I cannot vouch for the flour method, so am not describing it.

BRAISED SWEETBREADS DEMIDOFF

Serves 4
750g/1.5 lb calves' sweetbreads
Slice of lemon
Salt and pepper
30g (1 oz) butter
2 carrots, finely diced
2 onions, finely diced
30g (1 oz) flour
2 shallots, finely chopped
clove garlic, crushed
teaspoon tomato puree
300 ml (1/2 pt) veal or chicken stock
150 ml (1/4 pt) dry white wine
bouquet garni
1/4 cup whipping cream
tablespoon chopped parsley

Soak the sweetbreads in cold water for 2-3 hrs. Change water twice. Drain, rinse, put into a a pan of cold water, to cover the SB. Add the lemon and a little salt. Bring slowly to the boil. Skin occasionally; simmer 5 minutes. Drain, rinse, and peel the SB. Chill between 2 plates with a weight on top.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan. Add carrots and onions and cook till golden. Dip the SB in the flour and brown well in the butter on both sides. Add the rest of the ingredients (not the parsley, though). Bring to the boil, cover, and braise in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, till the SB are very tender.

Lift out the SB and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid. Press the vegetables, to extract all the liquid. Boil until glossy. Add about 1/4 cup of cream and reduce to sauce consistency.

Cut the SB into slices about 1 cm thick, warm them in the sauce and serve, sprinkled with parsley.

[c oliver]

Oh my, that sounds incredible! I will definitely be making this and I thank you so much.

[souschef]

Please let me know your opinion of it after you have made it. If you want a glimpse of what it looks like, do a search on "pithiviers". I once made it in a pithiviers and posted pics here. It's great served in any form of puff pastry.

[c oliver]

Never thought about lamb sweetbreads. We live about an hour from Reno, NV, which still has some remnants of Basque sheepherding history. I've been wanting to find some local source and will definitely look for the sweetbreads. (There's a bit of family lore that my husband's Aunt Virginia who married into a sheep ranching family used to bite the testicles off the new born lambs!)

[linguafood]

Yowzah.

[Indirect Heat]

We grill our butterflied leg of lamb. This is a recipe we use over and over and over. It's absolutely beautiful. http://indirectheat.blogspot.com/2009...

[BobB]

We do a similar one from Julia Child with balsamic and rosemary.

[c oliver]

That looks great and I've saved it. But do you notice that the photos don't look like a butterflied leg?

[souschef]

A supermarket here sells frozen leg of lamb marinated with garlic and rosemary. All you have to do is thaw it out in the fridge for 48 hrs and then throw it into the oven. I have done it a couple of times, and have really enjoyed it.

I also like a Navarin of lamb (French lamb stew), using a recipe from chef Roger Vergé.

Did anyone here mention lamb liver? Love that too.

[Passadumkeg]

Yes, lamb's liver. And kidney's too. I made lamb and kidney kabobs a couple of weeks ago and during the winter I make steak and kidney pie. Right huffed, I am.
We use graund lamb, as mentioned above for curry burgers, ad in several Med. sausage/pattie dishes. Fro Shepard's pie, I used either graoun lamb of diced. Norwegian farrikal (with little circles over the "a's", which make the long "o" sound) traditionaly uses the belly sheath, but I use any cut.
http://www.terella.no/2006/10/02/a-no...

Spise godt!

[whs]

Kibbeh--either cooked or tartare.

[JoanN]

I adore lamb. All cuts, all preps. Can't give you a recipe, but I can tell you a story. The best lamb I ever had was mechoui (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mecho... ). Whole or half a lamb rubbed with spices and cooked over coals in a pit. Had to be ordered two days in advance from a restaurant in Morocco. Minimum of 6 people. I twisted my friends’ arms. I really, really wanted to try this. They brought half a lamb to the table on a tray. No implements. I dug in with my hands. Crisp skin. Innards. Medium rare parts and crispy bits. Most of my companions were horrified and still tease me about it twenty years later. I was in heaven and hope to be able to experience it again before I die. Another good excuse to go back to Marrakech.

[c oliver]

Let us know. We'll be glad to be elbow deep in half a lamb. That sounds just amazing.

[Passadumkeg]

While in Bolivia, our maid had a baby and I was the padrino. We threw a party and had 3 lambs, pit cooked. Lots of poor folk and a couple of Commie Pinko school teachers and our kids. This all took place in a small housing colony run by some nuns for unwed mothers. What an experience. A bunch of single, male, American teachers and a bunch of poor single Bolivian mothers. I couldn't even make this up if I tried.
ps I sprang for a keg and 3 cases of wine too.

[BobB]

We eat a lot of lamb. Our three favorite ways are simple chops (either grilled solo or as a rack which is then cut apart), leg (either slow-roasted with garlic or butterflied, marinated with balsamic vinegar and rosemary, and grilled), and a spicy Moroccan-style lamb tagine (a sort of lamb and onion stew) with cauliflower, served over rice.

[Passadumkeg]

Does your wife make a lamb and dill stew like my mother did? Ochen horroshow!

[BobB]

No, though she does use a lot of dill in other dishes. Fortunately the local Russian stores sell dill in large bunches really cheaply.

[Passadumkeg]

Dill w/ salmon?

[BobB]

Of course! And potatoes, and chicken, and borscht, and eggs, and...

[Passadumkeg]

Holodnik, a cold summer borscht?

[BobB]

Sure! And it must be served with all the right accompaniments - chopped hard-boiled egg, chives, dill, and smetana.

[Passadumkeg]

No half a hot, peeled boiled potato in the center like a white island in a magenta sea?
Time to go eat some herring on rye for breakfast, then go kayaking in the rain.

[BobB]

No, my wife likes to cut up the potato into the soup while cooking it. Must be her family variation.

Paddle on! (We're canoe people).

[Veggo]

Too hot now for roasts, and with loin chops and racks in the $16/lb neighborhood, my comfort zone is a lamburger on the charcoal Weber with mesquite chips, seasoned with garlic powder, rosemary, and coarse black pepper. I can get a good lamb fix for just under $5/ lb. Melted havarti works well on them, and either mint sauce or kattyeyes' tzatziki sauce.

[Caroline1]

Lamb is possibly my fovorite meat of all time, but I am not a big fan of how flavorless American (and lamb imported for the American market) has become. Where has all the flavor gone? Anyway, my fave way of serving it is a Turkish recipe called yogurltlu kebab, or in plain English, yogurt kebab. (Wasn't that hard to guess!)

Things you'll need for four servings: First off, the serving dishes. The ideal is four earthenware large open soup plates. Short of that, porcelain or glass will do, but earthenware holds the heat longer Then you need four (pocketless) pita breads. They should be fresh and soft. If you can't find pocketless pita, then English muffins, split and toasted will work just fine. Put the bowls someplace to warm. If it's empty, I often use the dishwasher on "Heat" or "Plate Warmer."

Have a charcoal grill ready to stoke when the time comes. You can do these in a broiler, but it won't taste as good. Sorry. Now a pound and a half of boneless lamb cut into 1 inch cubes. Place it in an adequate sized bowl or zip lock bag. GRATE a medium onion and add to the meat. Grating works much better than chopping, even chopping fine, when it comes to flavor distribution. Add 3 tablespoons of good olive oil, the juice of half a lemon (about 2 Tbsp), some thyme leaves to taste and salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat the meat fully, cover with plastic wrap if you're using a bowl, and set it in the fridge for 4 to 5 hours. Remove from fridge two hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Put equal parts of lamb cubes on four skewers and light the charcoal fire.

Put 2 pints of drained American yogurt (drain to the consistency of Greek yougurt, or just use 2 pints of Greek to start with) in a bowl and add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and some salt to taste Mix well and set in a warm place to marry.

Meantime, concasse (peel, deseed, and chop) 2 large very ripe tomatoes. (You will also need 2 more tomatoes for broiling later) Place in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir/mash occasionally until broken down into a fairly smooth sauce. Nothing else in the pan but the tomatoes. Set aside in a warm place.

If you haven't started it already, fire up the charcoal and let it come to a red hot glowing bed. Broil the skewers of lamb about 3 inches above the charcoal, about five minutes per side, but do not dry it out! I like mine just a bit pink on the inside. While the meat is cooking, quarter the two remaining tomatoes, brush with olive oil and broil. And make room at the side of the grill to toast the pita breads or English muffins lightly on both sides.

ASSEMBLY: Place one pita (or quartered English muffin) in each bowl. Melt about 5 tablespoons or so of butter in a pan and spoon about a tablespoon over each pita/muffin. Spoon the tomato sauce equally over the four breads. Then divide the yogurt between the four dishes. Sometimes I heat the yogurt, sometimes I use it at room temp. Now, over a low flame add a teaspoon of good paprika to the butter but be careful not to burn! Set it aside for a bit. Remove lamb from skewers, topping each dish with 1 skewer of lamb. Decorate with the broiled tomatoes and spoon the paprika butter equally over each dish. Serve immediately!

It sounds like a lot of work when you read the recipe, but it really isn't. And even if it was, ti is soooooo delicious it is well worth it! Enjoy!

[Passadumkeg]

Lovely! I just finished souvlaki 5 minutes ago.

[Caroline1]

So where's mine????? :-(

[Passadumkeg]

Come on up, where the weather is a cool sea breeze, more souvlaki/shashliki tonight!
ps You never said if you'd marry me.

[Caroline1]

For souvlaki? Of course I will....!!! '-)

[Aromatherapy]

Wow, I never thought of using an English muffin. Thanks.

[souschef]

My favourite way (and the easiest/fastest) is a rack of lamb with a mustard/herb/garlic/breadcrumb crust. With mashed potatoes and veggies.

I am amazed at the number of people who don't like lamb. Of course there are also those people who say they have not tried it because they don't like it.

[Passadumkeg]

Can you find mutton in the Land of the Maple Leaf? I can't here, but could in New Mexico.

[mebby]

And then many more who have only had overcooked, tough and tasteless lamb that only confirms their prejudices. Was at a chinese restaurant recently whose name means "fried lamb" in mandarin and ordered their supposed specialty -- horribly overcooked and tough and my friend's husband said "What do you expect? It's lamb." I'm plotting a lamb conversion dinner for him even as we speak! He shall become a disciple!

One of my small consolations with my seriously ridiculously picky children is that one of the only dinners that elicits squeals of glee from them is rack of lamb (heredity I guess -- lamb chops were my favorite dinner as a kid before my mom went veggie and took us with her).

[linguafood]

To go into the other extreme.... has anyone ever had lamb carpaccio? I haven't, but I'd be willing to try it..... does it exist (I'm sure it does, but who makes it?)?

[Passadumkeg]

Next time I get my lamb from King's Hill farm, I'll do it!

Grown by an English teacher; literate lovely lamb:

http://kinghillfarm.com/

[keencook1]

I've had air-dried lamb in Ireland, from a butcher located in Oughterard, outside of Galway City.

[linguafood]

Oh, and how could I forget the gorgeous giouvetsi my man prepares.... tender leg of lamb braised in a Dutch oven with orzo, tomatoes, and kefalotyri cheese. It's the best. winter. dish. ever.

[Joebob]

RECIPE PLEASE!

[linguafood]

I'd love to, but I'm currently abroad, and I think the recipe is at home. I'm pretty sure we googled around for it, but I can't remember which one the man used. But I can ask him when he gets up.

I'd suggest googling it and trying out the most appealing one. I think we tweaked the recipe the 2nd time around, too. More tomatoes, less cheese, etc. etc.

You really can't do wrong with good ingredients & a dutch oven. It is wonderful.

[mebby]

It's summer and that dish still sounds damn good right now!

[linguafood]

NOT leg of lamb. Shanks. Fall-off-the-bone shanks. My bad.

[c oliver]

Oh yes, shanks. They're like a whole nother animal. Very, very good.

[BobB]

How could I have forgotten lamb shanks? All this sunshine lately has addled my brain to the point where I forgot one of my favorite winter meals!

[c oliver]

We used to have a motorhome and were meeting up with some friends on the Central CA coast in the winter. I browned the shanks, put them in the slowcooker which fit perfectly in one of the sinks and off we headed. Our friends were as happy as we were to have that special meal. Mmm.

[Passadumkeg]

Duh, I forgot shanks too. Braised w/ raisins reconstituted in cognac or sherry,

[linguafood]

Yes, however, I meant to ETA that the giouvetsi is made with lamb shanks, not leg o'lamb.

I do agree that shanks are awesome. Especially in giouvetsi.

[smtucker]

Love lamb. Can't think how we haven't made it. Last winter was all about investigating Indian lamb dishes, of course shish kabob marinated in lemon juice and rosemary, or garlic, or... Love to make gyros for a crowd. Lamb chops on the grill are a favorite Sunday dinner, For the bits and bobs I have left from trimming down a leg, I make samosas. Haven't roasted a whole leg lately since we are down to just two in the house, but it is still a "company is coming" preparation. And of course in the winter, lamb stews and shepard's pie.

Are you looking for recipes or additional inspiration?

[Passadumkeg]

Both. I'm on the lamb. Just a black sheep, I guess.

[smtucker]

Oh and don't forget lamb sausage. I reported on a wonderful version here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6043...

Will send complete recipe backchannel if you want.

[Joebob]

Indian Spinach and Lamb, Bademjan, Kokkinisto.

[souschef]

Butterflied leg of lamb that is first roasted fat side up in a hot oven for 20 minutes, then flipped over and covered with a mixture of redcurrant jelly, mustard, butter and brown sugar cooked into a sauce. Then roasted for another 20 minutes, more of the same sauce and roasted for another 10 minutes.

I once made it for a relative who said he did not like lamb when faced with the dish. The next time he was invited over he asked if I could make the same.

The recipe above is from memory. If anyone would like the complete recipe I'd be pleased to post it.

[Passadumkeg]

I marinate the butterflied leg of lamb in my own Italian dressing for 2 days in the fridge and throw it on the grill. You are correct that people that don't like lamb love it. I used to make this for a bunch of grizzled lobstermen at Lion's Club meetings on North Haven Island. There were no left overs and these macho men asked for the recipe!

[mebby]

I would love to have that recipe, souschef -- thanks! (And lamb is my favorite meat as well -- thanks for starting this thread, Passadumkeg!)

[souschef]

From the book "A Taste in Time" by Beverley Sutherland Smith:

LEG OF LAMB MARIA

1 boned leg of lamb weighing about 4lb before boning
Pepper
I tablespoon dry English mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 oz butter
1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch cinnamon
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon ketchup

Remove de bone from de meat. Cut through the thick pieces on either side of the top to make the meat even.

Season with salt and pepper. Put into a preheated 375 degree F oven, fat side up, directly on the rack, with a tray underneath, for 25 minutes.

While the lamb is cooking mix the rest of the stuff together and cook in a small pan for 3 or 4 minutes.

Remove the meat and the tray. Put the meat into a baking tray and spoon half the sauce over the top. Bake 10 minutes. Pour the rest of the sauce over and bake another 10-15 minutes till tender. There will be a nice sauce formed. Note: It is very easy to overcook the lamb; it should take no more than 50 minutes.

Tent with foil and allow to rest 10 miutes. Slice thinly and serve.

[MCFAC]

We love lamb too. Also, one of the first meats to give to children, because it's easy to digest. My go to lamb recipe can be found on epicurious.com - butterflied leg of lamb. You cut slits against the grain, and stuff them with a mix of fresh thyme, orange zest and salt and pepper. Coat with OO and grill or broil.

Maybe you can give some details on your favorites too?

[c oliver]

I've never liked garlic slivers in lamb cause I think it's too strong. The thyme, zest and s&p sounds quite good.

My favorite is probably a butterflied leg that marinates in an Asian marinade and then grilled.

I grew up not eating lamb but moved to SF in my late 20s and found out how delicious it is. I love those round bone chops. So much meat and not as expensive as those wonderful little loin ones. But recently went to a Basque restaurant that had five of those little riblets for only $5. Next time we may order four orders of them :)

[linguafood]

My man, who has Armenian roots, makes a mean shish kebab: cubed (2" in diameter at least) leg of lamb, marinated for 24-48 hours in olive oil, spearmint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and onion. Speared on skewers and grilled to med-rare perfection. It is always a feast when he makes it.

In the winter, when BBQing is not an option, we roast a whole leg of lamb in the oven. Pretty much the same marinade, but not for as long. I love lamb, too. It's my favorite meat.

I love to make lamb meatballs, too, with garlic & mint....

[NE_Elaine]

Last weekend I make a Greek-style rack of lamb marinated in lemon, olive oil, garlic and oregano and served it with an orzo salad with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and cukes. It was an awsome combination.

Today for Fathers Day, I am making a Roast Turkey and Leg Of Lamb with all the fixings. The lamb will have slices of garlic inserted and then it will be rubbed all over with olive oil/red wine and spices. It should be a nice Fathers Day meal, I just wish it wasn't going to be 90 degrees here today!

What do you do with your left-over lamb. It is so hard to reheat succesfully and I hate cold lamb.

[Passadumkeg]

Left over lamb make a good pilaf, lamb & mint jelly sandwiches, reheated w/ canned pork gravy (Don't tell anyone.) or reheated w/ pan juices. Use in soup, I always save the leg bone w/ extra meat left on for barley & mushroom soup. Lamb tacos or green burritos w/ fresh roasted green chile, yum.
From ground lamb, I prefer a lamb burger to a hamburger.
edit.: I render lamb fat and use it for frying, but it is especially good in making pie crust.

[coll]

I tend to make a leg Greek style, for gyros mainly. Only two of us (plus the cats) so it lasts awhile. I've found that steaming it quickly in my rice cooker is easy and yields meat that is as tender as the first day.