Admittedly lamb has a reputation for being greasy - but proper cooking eliminates that problem as it does with any other fatty meat. It's flavor is wonderful- more like pork than beef even though it is a red meat
Leg of lamb lends itself to slow roasting on a rack.. that way it self marinates with the fat running down and into the bottom of the pan. Shoulder and loin chops can be lightly pan fried, or better yet- broiled. For stews, I tend to shy away from the lamb stew meat- it's almost too lean. Instead I use the loin chops with the bones in, which gives a lovely flavor to the stock.
The up side to lamb- for those of you who are on tight budgets ( and who isn't these days)- is that it sells so slowly that you can often find mark down cuts at the supermarket. In fact, I had the good fortune to catch a leg of lamb marked down almost 50 percent. I have it in my freezer awaiting Easter and a long slow roast in my oven.
However, we have another , closer holiday that lamb is appropriate for-- St. Patricks day. I'm sharing my well-tested Lamb stew recipe along with a different take on cooking cabbage . Of course a dark beer is the best accompainment, and beer is the second best. However if you like me and cannot bide the taste of the stuff, I recommend a good shiraz- it balances well with the sweet cabbage and the savory meat. Serve a spice cake with cream cheese icing for dessert along with a glass of port.
Irish Potato Stew
½ cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat (preferably shoulder), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
1-½ cups dark beer
1-½ pounds medium new potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut ½ inch thick diagonally
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge lamb in flour mixture, shaking off excess. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Pour 1/4 cup water into pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and onion is beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to pot; stir in thyme, beer, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover; simmer until lamb is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Add potatoes, carrots, and 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely before storing. Stir in parsley just before serving.
Quick Cook Cabbage
1 head of cabbage finely shredded
1 stick of butter,sliced into pats
salt and pepper to taste
Bring pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop in all the cabbage by handfuls. Let boil 4-5 minutes- just until crisp tender. Drain and place in large serving bowl.. Toss with butter pats, salt and pepper until all butter is melted.
This retains so many of the nutrients and keeps it a lovely green color.
