Spike the Lamb

Every now and then I like to liven up the evening meal by tossing in some lamb! We do not eat it very often, but enjoy it when we do! Here is a very easy recipe for a simple baked lamb…Let’s head into the kitchen…

Ingredients
Lamb chops
2 glugs of extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped (I used dehydrated garlic as I discovered we were out!)
A couple of good shakes of Spike
Thyme, about 3 pinches

In a plastic zipper bag add all the ingredients.  Then shake it up!

Marinating lamb

Let this marinate outside the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After an hour in the place the chops in a greased baking pan. Cook for 15-20 minutes, then turn.

Midway through cooking

Cook for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then serve it up!

Dinner is served!

I served this with a lovely mushroom risotto and peas!

I hope that you try this easy recipe! Now, go out and enjoy your day!

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Pinot More

When my husband goes off to visit his Mother, I cook the stuff that I like to eat. He tells me that I can cook these things when he is home, but I want him to enjoy what I make, so I save these dishes for a night like tonight! I wanted to do something different with lamb. And I wanted to use some of the wine we have sitting around the house!

Ingredients
1 cup of Pinot Noir (I used 2010 Chateau Davell Delores Pinot Noir, Mendocino), plus 1/2 cup reserved
1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
8 fresh rosemary stems, leaves removed and chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
fresh ground salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp of each
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 rack of lamb
1 TBS local honey

Marinade ingredients

Put the wine, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper plus the balsamic vinegar into a bowl and mix it well. Place the lamb and the marinade in a zip lock bag, and shake it up.

Marinating lamb

Let this sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. One hour before you are ready to cook, take the lamb out of the refrigerator. After an hour, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. While the oven heats, place your lamb in a roasting pan.

Lamb ready for the oven

Reserve the marinade. Bake until the temperature of the meat reaches 135 degrees. Remove from the oven, cover and let sit. While this is resting, place the reserved marinade into a sauce pan, and add the honey. Heat to boiling. Reduce this to half. Check the flavor as you go. If needed use the reserved wine.

Pinot reduction

When reduce to half, turn down to warm. Slice up the resting lamb into chops.

Lamb cut into chops

Plate the meat, dress with some fresh rosemary, and drizzle the sauce over the meat.

Dinner is served!

And, dinner is served! Let me know how you like this recipe!

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Marinated Lamb Loin Chops

I don’t know about you, but I love lamb! I recently had some at a friend’s wedding that were really great and done on a grill. While the temperature outside is in the mid-thirties, I won’t be outside with the BBQ but inside with the indoor grill.

Ingredients
4 Lamb loin chops, 1 inch thick
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
6 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
salt and pepper

Two to three hours before grilling, rub the chops with the olive oil. Then rub with the garlic and herbs, then dash them with some salt and pepper.

Marinating Lamb

Put them back in the refrigerator covered for two – three hours.

Take the chops out of the refrigerator on hour before cooking. Grill on either the BBQ or an indoor grill.

Lamb goes on the grill

Monitor the meat. Cook 5 minutes per side.

Turn the chops

When the meat is done the way you like it, serve it up!

Dinner is served!

I like rice pilaf and steamed green beans! Pinot Noir is a good wine with this dish!

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Rack of Lamb

I love lamb. My sister however had a stuffed lamb as a baby and cannot handle lamb. What is your favorite recipe? I am sitting in my house right now smelling the fragrance of lamb, thyme, rosemary and garlic.

Here is my Rack of Lamb recipe:

One Rack of Lamb
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of Rosemary
2 tsp of Thyme
Salt and Pepper

Take the lamb out about two hours before serving your dinner. Let the lamb sit for a bit to warm up, then rub with minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the lamb in a glass baking dish on a rack. The fat side of the lamb should be facing up. Bake the lamb for about 40 minutes for rare in the middle and medium rare on the outer pieces. Take the lamb out of the oven and cover with foil and let it sit for five minutes.

Serve with steamed asparagus and jasmine rice.

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