Skip to main content

Lamb Two Ways





It took me a long time to develop a taste for lamb. My best friend’s favorite stuffed animal/ television personality growing up (and still to this day) was Lamb Chop; I could not eat the relatives of her beloved puppet. My grandparents would serve lamb with mint jelly when we visited, and I would dutifully take a bite, but the fatty richness of the lamb paired with the neon green sweet mint jelly threw me off.

Sadly, I no longer feel guilt for eating Lamb Chop’s relatives ever since discovering the magical combination of lamb and rosemary. The woody, earthy rosemary marries perfectly with lamb’s richness. My palate has indeed matured. In this wet rub, I use dried mint, worlds apart from neon green mint jelly. The tangy sweetness of the pomegranate molasses, the warm spice from the cumin and coriander all come together to make a lovely marinade for the meat. Plus, with a little wine, butter and extra pomegranate molasses, you get an incredible pan sauce to spoon over your meat. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 lbs of lamb, (butterflied leg or chops)
2 lbs of lamb chops

Marinade. Wet rub:
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
3 to 4 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried mint

To roast:
1 cup chicken stock (low sodium)

Pan Sauces:
chicken stock
red wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon pomegranite molases

Method:
Rub the lamb portion generously with the wet rub and refrigerate overnight or at least three hours. 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Salt the lamb portions once more, then gather the leg and truss it. Place the leg on a rack in a roasting pan. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the roasting pan. Roast the lamb in the oven until the internal temperature reads 135 to 140 degrees F, about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the roasting pan on the stove. Add a splash of red wine to deglaze any fond that may have formed while roasting, then add the butter and pomegranate molasses. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Pour over the lamb when serving. Enjoy!

For the lamb chops, place a cast iron pan over high heat on the stove with about one tablespoon of high heat oil (grapeseed, safflower, canola). Sear the chops for a minute on each side, add the remaining marinade into the pan, and put the pan in the 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until the lamb reads 135 to 140 on a instant read thermometer. Remove to a plate and let rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the cast iron pan back on the stove set to medium heat. Add a slash of wine and chicken stock, and bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, then reduce the sauce until slightly thickened. Taste, adjust for seasoning and add pomegranate molasses if needed. Enjoy!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Raspberry Pomegranate Jam

Tis the season to be making homemade gifts! Pomegranates are in season and their juice is a festive deep ruby red color. I knew I had to make them into a jam to give away. Straight pomegranate flavor is a little tart for me; I added raspberries for the texture of their seeds and their sweetness. This is a very simple recipe to make and will yield 6 to 7 8 ounces jars of jam or 12 to 14 4 ounce jars, if you like to give away sample sizes during the holidays. Enjoy! Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 1 cup mashed raspberries 7 cups sugar 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/75 ounce package Sure Jell Method: Sterilize your jars and lids. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed large stock pot, add the pomegranate juice, raspberries and butter. Mix well. Add in the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil then stir in the Sure Jell. Allow to boil hard for 1 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle into the sterile jars, twist on the lids and pr

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar.  My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together.  I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 sticks of

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients:  3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garlic and al