The Houndstooth Gourmet

It seemed so simple: marinate and sear some lamb chops. Broil asparagus and make mashed potatoes. How hard could that be? How much mess could it possibly make?

Last night’s dinner was delicious but it was one of those meals when apparently I needed just about every pan, gadget and utensil to orchestrate bringing it together. At some point, it just got away from me, but I kept going forward knowing that soon, I’d be indulging in a terrific meal.

Not to discourage you from making it. Sometimes, I’m just a spaz. Between staging the shots and timing the meat and God forbid-using the broiler (the kiss of death to any absent minded cook such as me), it was a real “ta-da” moment when I got to plate the food without- you know-causing a fire.

Lamb chops with herbed potatoes and parmesan asparagus is a delicious meal which, if your in the mood to use a few pans, is a real treat and value, considering a plate like this in a restaurant these days could cost you over $30 and perhaps even rub up near the $40 mark.

My lamb chops are from Costco, and when marinated and simply pan-seared, are absolutely delicious. The asparagus was on sale at Whole Paycheck Foods for $2.98 a pound, and the Alouette cheese spread was around $5 at Safeway.

So, roll up your sleeves, cook up a special meal, and know that although you have to clean the dishes after, you’ve just save a whole lot of money.

For the lamb

• 4-6 lamb chops
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and stems discarded
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 Tablespoon fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• several grinds of fresh black pepper

Place all ingredients in an airtight baggie and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Take the bag out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to searing to get the chill off.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove lamb chops from marinade and freshly season with salt and pepper on each side. Heat a pan over high heat. Add about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan (the oil should start to smoke) and add lamb chops. Sear lamb on each side for 3 minutes. Don’t move the chops while they are searing.

Place chops on a baking sheet and place in oven to cook until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees before resting. This will give you medium-rare chops (see photos).

While chops are resting, place marinade liquid in pan and bring to a boil. Scrape up the fond (brown bits) and add 1/2 cup more red wine. Reduce sauce by half and add 2 Tablespoons of butter.

For the Parmesan Asparagus

Place asparagus on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Pour about 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over asparagus and toss to coat. Arrange asparagus on sheet in a single layer and season with salt, pepper and 3 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Place asparagus in the 425 degree oven for 8 minutes and finish by turning on the broiler to melt the cheese.

For the Herbed Potatoes

Peel and quarter 2-3 large Russett potatoes. Place in a pot with cool water to cover. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until they are fork tender. Drain water. Place as much butter as you like over potatoes and season with salt (and pepper if you like). Add milk or half and half, about a half a cup, and mash potatoes. Add 3 Tablespoons Alouette Garlic and Herb cheese spread.

*WHB- Weekend Herb Blogging is a really fun weekly food blogging event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week’s host is Zorra from Kochtopf.

Tags: asparagus, Recipe, potatoes, lamb by Ramona
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I love all seasons for many reasons. Relating to farmers markets, you just can’t beat spring and summer: when the ramps and asparagus yield to tiny strawberries bursting with flavor. It’s an exciting time knowing that shortly thereafter, cherries, tomatoes and corn will be abundant.

 The deep greens and colorful root vegetables have been delicious and gorgeous to look at as the weather turned cold. But on Saturday, with the Arlington Market only half full of vendors it was, well, a little depressing. But the vendors are out and shivering, so I can be too. Not that there aren’t wonderful things to find this time of year. There’s always the year round staples such as meats, breads, cheeses and pastries. They alone make it worth the trip.

In particular, I wanted to regale Frank and I with lamb rib chops from Eco Friendly (which after the very first time I had them became a regular “treat” for Frank and me)  and a nice loaf of Atwater sourdough bread.

I also picked up a bag of homemade egg noodles to put in my homemade chicken stock which is in the freezer tucked away in quart containers waiting for me.

The lamb chops are incredibly tender. We bought eight chops for about $24. While it’s a bit of a splurge, I tell myself that if I were to order a lamb dish with 3-4 chops at a nice restaurant, the entree would surely exceed $30 and may even approach $40 depending. So for less than half the price of a restaurant, I can make a fabulous meal  for the two of us and enjoy it at home.

Easy(er) on the wallet, and easy to make, here’s my simple preparation for marinated and seared lamb chops with a red wine reduction sauce. Simply bring the chops out 45 minutes to one hour before cooking. In a ziploc baggie, place the chops inside and pour over 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary chopped to release essential oils, one clove crushed garlic, zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon, a tsp. of salt and several grinds of pepper.

Close the baggie and disperse marinating liquid around all chops. Place sealed bag in a bowl and leave out until ready to cook.

Heat dry pan over high heat. Remove chops from bag and place on hot pan. Do not move until chops are ready to yield, about 2-3 minutes. While on first side, add a bit more salt. Turn and sear on other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove to platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of dry red wine. Reduce by half and serve drizzled over chops.

Tags: Arlington, farmers markets, Virginia, Recipe, lamb by Ramona
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I have been wanting to try lamb meatballs for a while now. I enjoy lamb in most every way, except braised lamb shank for some odd reason. I don’t know, maybe it just doesn’t braise well. The most tasty lamb I’ve ever eaten was expertly prepared by Chef Cathal Armstrong at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA. It was about 3 years ago and my first (very excited) visit to the Tasting Room. I ordered the 5 course tasting menu (which was really 9 courses when counting the amuse bouche and goodies from the kitchen) and ordered lamb 4 ways as my main protien. Among the 4 preparations was lamb kidney and I’m not an organ meat eater generally, but I knew the chef is crazy talented and works with all parts of an animal lovingly. It was amazing. The lamb kidney had an intense lamb flavor, even deeper than the braised meat beside it. The texture was almost meat-like and really, I wouldn’t have known it was kidney if I wasn’t told.

Here, lamb provides a distinctly different flavor to the meatball. Moroccan spices compliment the savory lamb and the tomato-yogurt sauce has a nice tang from the acidity of the yogurt. These meatballs would make a wonderful appetizer if made bite sized and served with pita bread and the sauce for dipping. Here, I’ve simply made it with plain old spaghetti. The leftovers were gone within a day!

Ingredients for the lamb meatballs:

1-1 1/2 lb. ground lamb

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup half and half or milk

1 egg

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. cumin

1 T. corriander

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried thyme

3/4 t. paprika

3/4 t. ground mustard

1/2 t. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the tomato-yogurt sauce:

1 small onion, diced

1 T. olive oil

3 cups tomato sauce or puree

1/2 small can tomato paste

1 8 oz. container yogurt (I used non fat)

1 T. cumin

1 T. corriander

1 t. curry powder

1/4 t. cinnamon

Directions:

For the meatballs.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

In bowl, place bread crumbs and pour over half and half. Stir to incorporate. Add ground lamb, onions, garlic, spices, egg, salt and pepper. Combine but do not overwork the meat. Fry a small patty of lamb to check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Roll lamb into golf size meatballs and place on a baking sheet or top of a broiler pan (to allow grease to drip away. Space 1 inch apart. Bake in oven for 22 minutes until brown. Add meatball to sauce and continue to simmer in a covered pot for 20 minutes.

For the sauce.

In a heavy bottom saucepan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 T. each, cumin and corriander. Add 1 t. curry powder and 1/4 t. cinnamon. Add yogurt and salt to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

*Presto Pasta Night is a weekly blogging event sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. This is my second entry!

Tags: presto pasta night, Recipe, pasta, lamb by Ramona
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