Lamb recipes requested

I don't know - I like a nice medium-rare slice of lamb that's been rubbed with rosemary and thyme. (Start with the oven at 450 F, put the roast in, wait 5 minutes and turn the oven down to 350 and roast for 20 min/pound. Take it out and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.) A lamb hater would probably not.

A favorite restaurant (Cascadia in Seattle) does marvelous lamb encrusted with fenugreek. But again, probably not for the lamb hater.

I love lamb in my Indian curries... Lamb vindaloo?

Supposedly, most lamb haters actually hate lamb chops, and leg of lamb (or lamb in something where there are tons of other flavors, like curry, minestrone, gumbo) is supposed to win them over. I'm not sure I really have faith in that axiom, though.

But leg of lamb is my preferred piece of lamb, except I've never cooked it boneless -- Jaq seems to have the method for that down. If it's the gaminess she doesn't like, a marinade can take some of that out: I like a combination of zatar (Middle Eastern spice mix with sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, and salt) and Dr Pepper, believe it or not; chipotle and balsamic vinegar have worked well when I've tried them in the past. Something with a really pronounced flavor to counteract that gaminess without simply covering up all the flavor.

But if you don't want to go that route, the "lamb as one ingredient among thirty" method a la gumbo, curry, minestrone, might be best. And if she still hates it, that way you have leftovers that freeze well.

I do a variation on Lamb Henry, which is a Cumbrian dish. It works best with joints (foreleg is quite good) but will be fine without bones.

Marinate the lamb for about 48 hours in 1/2 jar redcurrant jelly, 1/2 jar mint sauce, some rosemary. Slow roast for about 5 hours. Using the saved marinade, make a thick-ish sauce (the juice from the lamb will help thicken this nicely) and chop some black pudding into it (which you can fry before adding, if you wish).

Oh gosh, lamb and black pudding. I need to try that.

Lamb and black pudding is a sign from God that eating animals is good.

That's one sign from God I've never doubted. Most of the others...eh.
Thanks for the recommendations, everybody, and keep them coming if you've got more. I suspect my prosperous thyme patches and/or monstrous rosemary plant will come in handy here.

you could always chop it into chunks, marinade in yoghurt and some spices (some of Tep's Zatar most likely) and skewer them?

That reminds me: Bobby Flay did a Yogurt-Mint Marinated Grilled Leg of Lamb. Looked vvvvvvery good. Have you cooked the lamb yet?

Not yet. It's in one of those vacuum-sealed packages -- if you've been to any of the big-box stores you know what I've got. I may freeze it while I ponder, because I have a meat loaf and garlic mashed taters happening tonight. It's a small one, only 3 1/2 lbs. I'd like to put it on the grill; now that I've had my charcoal grill for a couple of years I think I can control the heat properly.

of course, if you made kibbeh you wouldn't need to worry about the grill.....

never eaten it myself though, but I do fancy it

I second a yoghurty, garlicky marinade, sqooshed around inside a large plastic bag for a day or so in the fridge. That'll keep the bugger tender even without its bone.

1) divorce your wife
2) go buy a nice $30 dollar lamb rib roast
3) get a bowl and pour a whole bunch of extra virgin olive oil in it
4) add two table spoons of dijon mustard or creamed horse radish depending on your preferece
5) squeeze in the juice of a whole lemon
6) add four teaspoons freshly ground pepper and two teaspoons whole rosemary
7) get a bulb of garlic. mash 2/3d's of the cloves and add them to the bowl. set aside 3 or four whole cloves. cut several deep small holes in the roast and insert the remaining cloves into it.
8) marinade the roast in a ziploc bag with your well mixed olive oil concoction for 24 hours.
9) preheat the oven to 425 degrees. cook roast for 15 minutes. reduce heat to 350 and cook for another 30-40 minutes depending on size.
10) Enjoy!

I love the way lamb responds so well to the simple treatment of rosemary, salt, paper, garlic, and olive oil. Paired with a glass of red wine you just can't go wrong with broiled or pan sauteed lamb chops. I will never get tired of this food. Maybe it's because I never had lamb as a kid. I didn't have lamb until I was in my late 20s.

I was in a middle eastern market once and an immigrant tried to convince me to buy steak instead of lamb. She had lamb so much it wasn't special to her at all, she wanted the steak. Interesting.

(spam)