Lamb recipes for lamb lovers out there

[recipelover]

Rack of Lamb with Walnut Crust, all phases

I buy the French racks at Sam's Club (like Costco) and we use one rack for two people. This is our absolute favorite lamb recipe and I have passed it on to others who love lamb like we do. If you like lamb, you have to try this!!

2 racks of lamb (French boned)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt
Ground white pepper
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 cup whole walnuts
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic

To prepare the racks of lamb: Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Season the racks of lamb with salt and pepper (I use fresh ground sea salt and ground white pepper). Sear the racks on all sides until nicely browned. Remove racks to a platter and allow to cool enough to handle. At this point preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

To make the walnut crust: Put dried rosemary into a food processor and pulse several times to grind, If you don't do this the rosemary pieces will be too large. Add walnuts, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, and garlic powder. Pulse several times until mixture is the consistency of bread crumbs. Pour mixture onto a large dinner plate or a platter.

To make the mustard mixture: In a dish combine the egg, mustard and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Mix well with a fork until egg and mustard are completely incorporated.

To coat the racks of lamb: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Once the racks are cool enough to handle, place 1 rack in the mustard mixture and coat all sides. Next place the coated rack into the walnut mixture and coat well. Using your hand press the walnut mixture firmly onto the coated rack. Transfer rack to the baking sheet. Repeat steps for each rack. You can make the recipe to this point and place in refrigerator until ready to cook.

To cook: Place the racks of lamb into the oven and roast for 20 minutes for medium rare. I use a temperature probe in one of the racks, and remove meat from oven when it registers between 125 to 130 degrees IF. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

GARLIC ROSEMARY LAMB CHOPS, all phases

1 T. fresh rosemary or 1/2 T. dried rosemary
1/2 T. fresh marjoram or 1/4 T. dried
6 lamb chops
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Crush up the rosemary and marjoram and place in a bowl along with the garlic and oil. Dip chops in marinade and then pour remainder over the top. Marinate for 3 hours or longer if you wish.

We grill the chops, but they can be broiled under high heat for about 5 minutes a side or to your taste. Splash with the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

PS: I started sprinkling the chops with salt and pepper before dipping them in the marinade. Most chefs on TV always seem to salt and pepper the meat first, so I decided they must know how to do it.

PAN ROASTED LAMB CHOPS WITH CRACKED PEPPER AND TARRAGON, all phases

2 T. very coarsely chopped black pepper
6 loin lamb chops
1/2 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. low-salt beef broth
1/8 c. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 T. butter
some of the zest of the lime
1/2 T. chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp. dried

Place pepper on a plate and press the lamb chops firmly into the pepper so that it adheres to the meat. Preheat oven to 200.

Heat oil in a large pan over high heat and when very hot, add the chops and sear quickly on both sides. Sprinkle with salt. Reduce heat to medium. Do not degrease the pan. Add the stock and lime juice and continue to cook until the chops reach desired doneness, about 2 minutes for medium-rare. Remove chops to a plate and keep warm in oven. If using dried tarragon, add it to the liquid now. Continue to cook until liquid reduces to a shiny glaze. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Add the grated lime zest and fresh tarragon. Remove chops from oven to warm serving platter. Add any lamb juices from the plate to the above sauce. Spoon sauce over the chops and serve.

ROSEMARY MARINATED LAMB CHOPS

2 teaspoons Crushed Rosemary
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 loin lamb chops, cut 1 to 1 1/4-inch thick, trimmed

Mix crushed rosemary, thyme, black pepper, garlic powder and salt in a bowl. Add onion, orange juice, white wine and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk together and reserve 1/2 cup marinade mixture for later use. Place lamb chops in self-closing plastic bag; add marinade. Turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes. Remove lamb from marinade and blot dry with a paper towel. (Do not remove onion pieces from chops). Heat remaining oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb in skillet. Sear one side of lamb approximately 4 minutes or until well browned. Turn chops over and cook 4 minutes longer or until desired doneness. Add reserved marinade and simmer 2 minutes. Remove lamb to a serving plate. Pour reduced marinade over lamb.

[lrb2]

thanks..looks good

[RedRox]

I love lamb! These all look dee-lish!! Haven't eaten much of it since on SB, probably because we just usually get the shoulder/arm chops and those are kind of fatty. Makes me WANT some!! LOL!!

[armywife321]

HELP!

I have a rack of lamb thawing right now....what does french mean? I bought mine at Costco I think.....New Zealand lamb rack...

This walnut recipe sounds DIVINE!!!!!

[RedRox]

"Frenching" a rack of lamb (gee I hope LyndaB isn't reading this!) has to do with how it is cut/prepared prior to cooking. It has nothing to do with country of origin! It's a way of exposing the rib bones to make it look nicer and give you a nice hand hold. Basically it is what you would get in a restaurant if you ordered a rack of lamb there. If you want to really dress it up, try and find those little colored paper "hats" that go over the ends of the bones! Anyone else remember those little wonders!

Here's a link into the Food Network on how to French a Rack of Lamb if you want to visually see what it looks like or how to do it. Personally, I'd just ask the butcher if that is the effect you want!

[armywife321]

So...even if it isn't frenched I can still cook it basically the same way? I am really excited about this recipe, can you tell?

[RedRox]

Sure you can! It's more a visual thing. You might need a bit more of each of the dipping recipes as there will be more surface area. I'm not sure how much meat vs. fat there is on that part of the rib bone, so you might find that trimming it on your plate results in more waste at that point than if you removed it first. Pair it with a nice full bodied red wine and I'll be over too! I was invited wasn't I??? Let's see. Denver to LA or SFO. Cali to Hawaii. Should be there sometime on Sunday!

[recipelover]

I have a rack of lamb thawing right now....what does french mean? I bought mine at Costco I think.....New Zealand lamb rack...

I bet it is the same thing that I buy at Sam's Club. It has two racks in a package and each one has about 6 bones. They are about 6-7 inches long each. I use one rack for the two of us.

But, you can use any rack of lamb for this recipe and it is the best recipe that we have tried for lamb. If your rack of lamb is in a round shape, just cut it so that it lies flat. You need to brown it on all sides and then spread the mixture over each side before you bake it.

I have sent this recipe to a person who is a real gourmet cook, and she just raves about it. So enjoy!

[kjj3kids]

My in-laws gave me some ground lamb that they had processed (they are farmers). Any ideas on what to do with it? We love lamb but I haven't used it ground up. Thanks.

[recipelover]

You could use the ground lamb in a meatball recipe or even a casserole. A Mediterranean spice would be good to add. I did a quick search and found some ideas and then found a recipe on our forum for stuffed eggplant that you could use. You could also try stuffing zucchini with the mixture too. Maybe this will give you some ideas.

Lamburgers: http://www.sheepscreek.com/recipes/lamburger.html
Lamb meatballs with eggplant sauce: http://www.sheepscreek.com/recipes/meat ... plant.html
Lamb and Black Bean Chili: http://www.sheepscreek.com/recipes/lamb ... chili.html
Middle East Meatloaf: http://www.sheepscreek.com/recipes/midd ... tloaf.html
Feta and Olive Meatballs: http://maindish.allrecipes.com/az/FtndlivMtblls.asp
Greek Burgers: http://barbeque.allrecipes.com/az/GreekBurgers.asp
Grilled Spicy Lamb Burgers: http://barbeque.allrecipes.com/az/Grill ... bBrgrs.asp


Stuffed Eggplant - P1 [posted by ami]

3 medium eggplants (about 11/4 pounds each), split lengthwise
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground lamb, or lamb sausage removed from casings and
crumbled (make sure is lean meat)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 medium Roma plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup crumbled Feta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Halve the eggplants lengthwise and with a sharp knife score the pulp
in a diamond pattern, being careful not to pierce the skins. Scoop
out the pulp with a spoon, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. Chop the pulp.

Place the eggplant shells on a greased baking sheet and lightly
brush the inside of each half with about 1 teaspoon of olive. Bake
until the shells are softened but not brown, about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a heavy skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over
medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook, stirring, until no longer pink,
about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper
towels. Add the onions and bell peppers to the fat in the pan and
cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, eggplant, salt,
Essence and pepper, and cook until the eggplant is soft, 3 to 4
minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they give off their liquid,
3 minutes. Add the parsley and oregano, and stir well. Remove from
the heat. Stir in 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs and mix well into the
vegetables. Stir in the feta, and re-season as needed.

Divide the filling among the eggplant shells, and sprinkle the
remaining 1/4-cup of breadcrumbs over the tops.
Bake until the tops are golden and the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes.

----

I figured maybe Parmesan cheese would be a good substitute for the
breadcrumbs if in P1.
Use whole wheat bread crumbs if you're in P2.
Essence:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or
container.

[kjj3kids]

Recipelover - wow - these are some really good sounding recipes! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide these. BTW, your recipe sticky is so helpful! Thanks again

[armywife321]

By the way, we LOVE the walnut rack of lamb.....LOVED it. My 6 year old went NUTS over it....we will most certainly be making it again.

[armywife321]

Oh and when I find some ground lamb, I am going to make this recipe!

http://maindish.allrecipes.com/az/Gyrll.asp

[A-Rod]

If you liked the walnut rack, you could try a recipe I saw Emeril do recently. He used venison [MMM!] but lamb would also be great, or over a pork or beef tenderloin. He just brushed the meat with dijon mustard and coated in a pistachio crust and seared it in olive oil for a few minutes, then put it in the oven until cooked.

Once it was done, I'd deglaze the pan with some red wine and a little thyme or rosemary [maybe first saute some garlic in the fat if there was any, then deglaze] and make a little reduction ... then serve with some sweet potatoes ...

[A-Rod]

From Eating Well magazine:

Lamb Chops with Mint Pan Sauce

Serves 4

Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Lamb with mint Jelly is a tried-and-true combination, and this recipe takes the idea to new heights. The sweet, shocking green jelly is transformed into a richly flavored and pleasingly dark sauce.

Make it a Meal: Serve with whole-wheat couscous and a side of vegetables.

1/3 cup apple juice
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
8 lamb loin chops, trimmed of fat (about 1.5 lbs. total)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. canola oil
1 shallot, minced
1/33 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tbs. cider vinegar
2 tbs. mint jelly
2 tbs. minced fresh mint

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine apple juice and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Sprinkle lamb chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn them over and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into a chop registers 140 degrees for medium-rare, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness. Transfer the chops to a plate and tent with foil.

3. Place the skillet over medium-high heat (take care, the handle will be hot). Add shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until browned and softened, about one minute. Add broth, vinegar, and mint jelly and bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the jelly. Cook, whisking constantly, until the liquid has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the cornstarch mixture; add to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in half the mint along with any accumulated juices from the chops. Serve the chops topped with the sauce and the remaining mint.

Per Serving: 302 calorieis; 12 g fat (4 g sat, 6 g mono); 108 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 35 g protein; 0 g fiber; 370 mg sodium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (53% daily value), Zinc (33% DV); Iron (15% DV).