Lamb Archives – Karyn's Kitchen

Easy, Luscious Leg of Lamb With Shawarma Spices

Marinating leg of lamb in shawarma spices is an easy way to give it an extra flavor boost.

How many ways can you prepare a leg of lamb? I love it barbecued after marinating with fresh herbs and garlic. However, the oven works as well and for a change of pace, I decided to marinate this leg of lamb in shawarma spices for a few hours before cooking in a 325 degree oven for 40 minutes. I was aiming for medium doneness and this boneless half leg was 1.85 pounds before trimming fat and connective tissue away with a sharp knife. Here’s a great guide to help you adjust timing according to your desired doneness.

What are shawarma spices, you ask? A blend common in the Middle East, you can buy it premixed for seasoning chicken or beef. But isn’t it more fun to create your own and customize it to your taste?

Here’s what Diana from https://littlesunnykitchen.com/ recommends:

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon dried ground turmeric

Salt to taste. With the above mixture, I used 1/2 teaspoon. As usual, I substituted grains of paradise for pepper and used fresh garlic. It seemed like a lot of ginger to me, so I used a touch less.

Preparing the Leg of Lamb

First, using a sharp knife, cut off excess fat and connective tissue from the lamb. Make a paste from the combined shawarma spices listed above and olive oil. Coat the meat liberally with it. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook uncovered in a roasting pan.

We enjoyed this boneless half leg roasted in the oven, but you can apply the same principles no matter the size of your roast. Using a gas grill, we used to cook a couple of 4 pound butterflied legs of lamb over indirect medium heat for about an hour. Be sure to let the cooked lamb rest for 20 minutes covered on a platter before cutting into it. Serve it with tabbouleh, hummus and flatbread. How about with roasted potatoes and a salad? The possibilities are endless!

Delicious, Slow Cooked Lamb Shank is Easy to Prepare

For flavor and tenderness, you can’t beat a slow cooked lamb shank.

Lamb shank is one of the easiest cuts to prepare and it’s absolutely delicious. An economical choice, it responds well to low and slow cooking until it’s so tender it falls off the bone. Will you braise it in the oven for a couple hours or put it into the slow cooker for four? Either way works for me. The main thing is to find the way that works best for you so that everyone enjoys sitting down together to enjoy it.

braised lamb shanks on a white platter. red wine in the background

After trimming away the excess fat and connective tissue, I chose to sear the salted shanks quickly in a hot skillet before putting into a slow cooker. Then I sautéed some chopped onion in olive oil along with carrots, celery, garlic and canned tomatoes. There are so many herbs that would work well here. I added some of my all-time favorite, Herbs de Provence.

What would you like to accompany this dish? So many choices! How about making polenta in another slow cooker or on the stove top? That’s comfort food in a bowl right there.

During the winter time, braising in the oven heats up my home beautifully. In warmer weather, I prefer to put this in the slow cooker because it kicks out less heat. Plug it in outside to keep things cool inside. Which option suits you best today? Perhaps quick cooking chops are more your style? There’s lots to love about lamb rib chops.

Lots to Love About Lamb Rib Chops

Lamb chops are versatile and easy to prepare.

Wondering how to cook lamb chops? You don’t have to prepare them the same way all the time. If mint jelly turns you on, that’s fine. But I prefer to eat things in a variety of ways. And lamb rib chops will never disappoint.

About an hour before I wanted to cook them, I took the lamb chops out of the refrigerator, patted them dry and rubbed them with:

grapeseed oil
crushed garlic
cumin
turmeric
coriander
dash of allspice
dash of cinnamon

Because I was taking this in the direction of the Middle East, I added some chopped dates to the turmeric rice that I reheated. And then I remembered I had some feta, so I sprinkled that on top of the carrots that I had simmered with minced ginger until fork tender.

Did I have a planned menu when I began? No, I looked into the refrigerator to see what I had and began to create. What do you think of my No Plan Meal Plan?

After searing the lamb chops for 3 minutes in a hot skillet, I turned them over and put them into a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Let them rest before serving.

Do you prefer a vegan meal, but you like the way this combination of spices sounds? Watch Lentils and Rice Partner For a Pantry Party instead.

Hesitate No More About Cooking Lamb Rib Chops Perfectly

Gain confidence and develop your intuition as you expand your culinary repertoire.

I used to feel hesitant about cooking lamb rib chops because they’re more expensive than other cuts like shank and shoulder chops. Therefore I wanted to be sure I didn’t mess up. Once I came to realize that it’s essentially like cooking a steak, I gained more confidence. You can learn how to cook lamb chops perfectly too.

What do I mean when I say it’s like cooking steak? I mean that with a tender cut of meat such as these, medium/medium rare is desirable. Therefore, searing at high heat with maybe a quick stint in the oven is all that is necessary before letting them rest briefly before serving. Again, I am talking about basic principles of cooking here; not recipes. Are you with me?

Lamb rib chops with swiss chard and yellow rice on a white plate. A glass of zinfandel with a cork on the right. In the background are a small bowl of black olives, a small bowl of salt, a wooden pepper grinder and a bottle of zinfandel.

If you have time to marinate the chops, you can add even more flavor. Even if you only do so an hour before cooking, letting them come to room temperature, you will be glad you did. What should you put on them? Oh, let me count the ways…Here’s what I used this time:

garlic
grapeseed oil
dried oregano
dried sage
a touch of mustard powder

raw lamb rib chops marinating in garlic and herbs in a glass baking dish. A green plaid cloth, marble mortar and pestle, garlic and a small bowl of salt with a wooden spoon sits in the background.

How To Cook Lamb Chops

First I preheated the oven to 350. I decided to sear these 1 1/2 chops in a screaming hot skillet for 3 minutes on one side. I flipped them over and after about a minute, put the skillet into the oven for 5 minutes. They rested while I took the picture and then we devoured these perfectly tasty, meaty treats.

What if your chops aren’t as meaty? A bit smaller? Adjust the way you handle them. They might not need time in the oven at all. About 3 minutes on each side in the skillet is a good baseline for me to think about, but if they’re really scrawny, 2 might be sufficient. Develop your intuition. Pay attention to how they look, smell and feel.

lamb rib chops, au gratin potatoes and broccoli on a white plate. A bottle of Rosso di Montalcino, its cork and a bottle of dried rosemary are in the background.

I know that serving with asparagus would be more indicative of spring and I love asparagus. But it does change the taste of the wine and if I’m going for the gusto with lamb rib chops, you can be sure a good red wine is on the menu. So I don’t want to spoil it!

What do you think of those scalloped potatoes? Read about them here and let me know how you make them your own.

Take it To the Bank Lamb Shank

Slow cooked lamb shank yields maximum results from minimal effort.

Sometimes I don’t want to put much thought or energy into preparing dinner, but I still want to have something tasty ready when we want to eat. A slow cooker is fantastic for that as long as you begin with flavorful ingredients. Lamb shank is perfect for the slow cooker because long and slow makes it tender and delicious. The bones make great stock afterwards, so be sure to save them.

Preparing Lamb Shank

I recommend removing excess fat and connective tissue with a sharp knife first. Even if I am doing a no brainer dinner like this, I remind myself to take the time to sharpen my knife because I get very irritated when I must work harder than my tool to accomplish a task. (A knife sharpener is essential equipment, by the way. If you don’t have one, put it on your list.)

After that, I sprinkled with a little salt and garlic powder and put into the slow cooker. A packet of dried onion soup and a couple cups of water are all I need to make these shanks amazing. Four hours on low and you have a fantastic main dish. A couple hours in the oven works just as well.

Accompaniments

What do you want to pair them with? You could do all kinds of things, but as I was doing what I basically considered a zero labor meal, I tossed some green beans and chopped carrots into the slow cooker at the same time that I began to boil some potatoes on the stovetop just before dinner time. I had decided to make mashed potatoes and serve the onion soup as gravy. I could have thickened up the gravy with a little flour in the end, but I didn’t because this was a zero effort meal…hands on time took maybe 15 minutes to remove fat from shanks and scrub and chop potatoes. No work. Delicious, especially when paired with a nice Barbera. Red wine elevates any meat and potatoes dish in my opinion…Hooray for effortlessly simple meals!

New to cooking lamb? Read Be a Lamb and Try for more tips.

Cooking Lamb Chops for Simple Summer Elegance

Develop your intuition and learn how to cook lamb chops without a recipe.

What’s the quickest thing to cook on the stove top during a heat wave? Lamb chops. These loin chops weren’t very thick, so I seared them in a preheated skillet for a couple minutes on each side after seasoning with dried sage and garlic powder. Plated them and covered to let rest for 15 minutes while Michael finished work. That’s how to cook lamb chops simply without a recipe.

You really don’t want to overcook these beauties. Michael always requests medium rare plus in a restaurant…well, I’m not a restaurant, but I nailed it this time and so can you. Thicker chops require longer cooking time. If they’re really thick, you might consider putting them into the oven after turning them over. Resting allows meat to continue cooking a bit while staying juicy before cutting into them. Learning basic principles allows you to cook more intuitively.

lamb loin chops with potato salad and napa cabbage on a white plate

What are lamb chops without a nice bottle of wine? I love a good Pinot Noir, but they’re often a bit pricey. I really like this one and it’s not expensive. Perfect for simple meals.

Potato Salad

There are so many ways to make potato salad. Boil until fork tender and toss with your dressing of choice. My favorite begins with crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Parsley is fantastic, but I didn’t have any, so I used cilantro instead. I decided a little dried dill would be good too. Look around to see what you have. Cooking without a recipe is practical.

Sautéed Cabbage

Napa cabbage is a bit more delicate than the round variety, so it doesn’t need much time to wilt in a pan. After chopping it, I sauteed it in olive oil with some garlic and added some chopped dates for a sweet note that paired nicely with the lamb. That’s how you develop your intuition in the kitchen. Consider the flavors and textures you’re combining to create a pleasing combination of ingredients.

Delicious and light. Quick and easy. Simple meals can also be elegant.

New to cooking lamb? Please read Be a Lamb and Try for more ideas.

It’s Delicious, So Be a Lamb and Try

Budget friendly shoulder chops and shank are perfect choices for slow cooked lamb.

I love a good leg of lamb, rib chops or rack of lamb; but they are an occasional indulgence. Fortunately there are less expensive cuts that are also wonderful when slow cooked. Last week I saw a lamb shank on clearance because it was nearing its sell by date, so I grabbed it. I also bought a lamb shoulder chop. Both of these cuts require longer cooking to make them tender, which is fine for me because it means the oven or slow cooker will do all the work for me.

A Suggestion

I have heard a lot of people say that they don’t care for lamb because it tastes gamy. If that’s true of you, but you’re willing to give it another try, here’s a tip recommended by my friend Steve: After removing the excess fat and connective tissue, rinse it and rub some salt all over it. Let it sit for a few minutes so that some of the moisture is drawn out of the meat. Then put it in a tub of clean water for a few minutes to rinse. Repeat this process a few times until the rinse water is no longer pink. This is an age old method that many people say improves the taste of lamb.

Preparation

I prefer to keep things as simple as possible, so after removing most of the fat with a sharp knife, I merely did a quick sear of the shank on the stovetop. (You can skip this step if you want. It adds more flavor, but it’s not absolutely necessary.) After removing it from the roasting pan and adding some oil, I threw in half an onion, a carrot and a stalk of celery; all diced. After cooking those for a few minutes, I poured half a bottle of dry red wine in (nothing fancy) and about a couple cups of chicken broth because I had neglected to defrost my lamb stock. Beef broth would have been good too. I sprinkled some thyme and oregano in there, let it come to a boil and then returned the shank to the pot and covered it, putting it into my preheated oven. After about an hour or so, I put the shoulder chop in there too. Let it all cook together for another hour and dinner was served.

Roasted lamb with carrots, farro and kale

Mixing Things Up

Why did I combine the two cuts? My husband, Michael, has an aversion to blobs of fat and the last time I served lamb shank, he accidentally got a bite of fat. Oops! That was very unpleasant (for both of us) and I didn’t want to repeat the experience…Ahem….so I imagined he would be happier with the shoulder chop this time. When I took it out of the oven, however, I decided that I wanted to have some of the shoulder chop too, so I sliced all the meat down and mixed it together, being very careful to cut off any remaining fat! It was nice having the different textures together. The chop is more steak-like and the shank has a more buttery mouthfeel. Michael enjoyed the shank much better this time. What’s not to love about something so tender it falls off the bone? Slow cooked lamb is wonderful.

Accompaniments

I plated the meal above with farro, (an ancient grain of the wheat variety) and kale. I would have loved polenta too, but I didn’t have any cornmeal. Any grain or starch that you like would work fine, as long as you have something to pair with all that effortless, tasty gravy and vegetables. You could use whatever herbs and spices you like, add tomatoes or beer instead of wine (something acidic helps tenderize a tougher piece of meat) and change up the flavor profile altogether. And please remember to boil the bones afterward and save the stock for zero waste cooking later!

After freezing the leftover lamb and carrots, they reappeared for another delicious dinner alongside roasted turnips

Please read No Boring Leftovers for another idea on reinventing them.