Lamb for all Seasons

By Dana Warrington

Lamb is a delicious, versatile alternative to other meats. Historically served as a spring delicacy, lamb is now enjoyed year round. Many grocery stores in the Delta keep lamb in their meat counters year around–just ask the local butcher. From a baby rack of lamb to a leg of lamb the delicate flavor combines and compliments a wide variety of herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits. When purchased, lamb should be bright pink with pink bones and white fat. Always trim excess fat. Most cuts of lamb are tender enough to be cooked by any dry heat method.

 Roasting Notes from Carl Cottingham:
Carl Cottingham, of the The Pantry in Greenville, is a local caterer who is experienced in the preparation of lamb. Carl prefers cooking a baby rack of lamb because “the flavor is mild and the taste is fresh.” While sitting at his counter, Carl roasted a pair of lamb chops while I took careful notes. The “natural chef” (as his assistant, Janie Osso calls him), coated a baby rack with olive oil and then seasoned it with a lot of black pepper, salt and ground rosemary. He placed the rack of lamb in the broiler and roasted it for three minutes on each side. After roasting, he placed the lamb chops in the oven at 350 degrees for five minutes. The results were lamb chops that were medium rare. Another method is to grill the rack of lamb for five minutes on each side.

Serving suggestions
With lamb dishes, Carl serves roasted potatoes with a lot of salt and olive oil or potato soufflés (from Galatoire’s new cookbook), fresh asparagus, fresh baked crusty bread with a good bottle of red wine to complete the meal.

Here are some other recipes for lamb recipes to try:

 Roast Rack of Lamb
Second Helping from Union Square Café

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/ 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 T vegetable oil
2 lamb racks, 8 ribs each
1 T plus 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, tarragon, olive oil, pepper, mixing with your fingers so that the breadcrumbs absorb the oil. Set aside. In a cast-iron skillet or ovenproof sauté pan large enough to hold both racks, heat the vegetable oil over high heat until smoking. Season the racks all over with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and sear them in the pan, meaty sides down. Cook until well browned, about 2 minutes. Turn the racks over and cook 1 minute longer. Place the skillet in the oven. Roast nine minutes for medium rare or eight minutes for rare. Remove the skillet from the oven, transfer the racks to a plate, and let them rest for fifteen minutes, uncovered. Use a pastry brush or a teaspoon to coat the meaty side of each rack with mustard. Return the racks to the oven and roast for fifteen minutes to brown the crust. Slice in between each bone, and serve the chops immediately.

 Minted Leg of Lamb
The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

1 tsp. salt
1 to 1 1/ 2 tsp. dried mint flakes
1/ 2 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (9 pound) bone-in leg of lamb
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T Worcestershire sauce

Combine first three ingredients; rub into lamb. Place chopped onion in center of a lightly greased roasting pan; place lamb on top of onion. Combine wine and remaining four ingredients; pour over lamb. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of lamb, making sure it does not touch bone or fat. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer registers 150 degrees (medium-rare) or 160 degrees (medium), basting lamb every 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Yield: 12 serving

Savory Lamb Chops
Gourmet of the Delta, one of Carl’s “must have” cookbooks

6 thick rib lamb chops
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 T garlic vinegar
5 T olive or salad oil

Place the lamb chops close together on a platter. Mix all other ingredients well and pour over lamb chops. Do this one hour before broiling. Turn the chops three or four times so mixtures will penetrate both sides. Broil the chops in the regular way. When done remove to hot platter. Any dressing left, pour over sizzling chops.