I haven’t cooked lamb before but I found some local meat at our co-op and thought I should give it a try. So I bought some and then wondered what to do with it. One of the great things about the blogging world? Inspiration! I follow the Cooking in Sens blog and she posted a lamb recipe that looked really good. I liked the idea of broth and balsamic vinegar. After a trip to the store I came up with this recipe.
The cut of meat I used was a shoulder chop.
I seasoned with salt then added a dried mushroom rub that contained black pepper. The mushrooms were porcini and shiitake.
I set the chop aside for a few minutes while I prepped the rest of the food so the flavours of the rub could sink in a bit. I then added a bit of olive oil and butter to the skillet and melted the butter. Once hot enough it was time to sear the lamb chop.
I seared each side for a couple of minutes and seared the edges as well. Then set it aside and covered it with tin foil while I made the sauce. I added coarsely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and garlic to the skillet and sauteed for a few minutes.
I had my homemade turkey broth on hand so I used about a 1/2 cup of that. I brought it to a simmer. Then I added balsamic vinegar to the sauce. As this is the real stuff you don’t need much. I used several drops of this. We brought it back from Italy when we were there on our honeymoon and it really works well in a lot of dishes.
Once the sauce was done I added the lamb back in to cook a bit more. We like our meat rare but not blue. Because this is the first time I cooked lamb I was on a bit of a learning curve to get it to the right doneness but I got there in the end.
We paired the dish with this wine. We belong to the Virgin Wine club and every 3 months we get a case of red. This was a good one and it held up to the earthy taste of the dish. As a stand alone it was a bit rough.
I served the lamb with roast potatoes and some corn.
Overall I was pleased with the flavour but I think I’ll try to find a better cut of meat next time. This would also work well with steak.
That lamb looks delicious!
Thanks. 🙂 We’ll definitely make that sauce again.
Good idea, but I think shoulder is best when slow cooked until it is really tender. Small lamb chops and legs of lamb work wonderfully well when pink.
Luckily it was tender but yes you are right. I need to pick a better cut next time. Need to look for a slow cooked recipe as we have another shoulder cut in the freezer.
This looks delicious! I have nominated you for some awards over at my site. Pop on over and have a look if you fancy. x
Thank you so much! I’ll check it out. 🙂
Welcome to lamb country! You’re so right about benig inspired by others’ blogs. I, for one, am certainly going to give this recipe a try the next time I cook lamb chops or a leg of lamb steak. I bet that sauce was wonderful.
Thanks. 🙂 It was a lovely earthy flavour.
I just cooked lamb chops last night! They were loin chops, small but thick, and quite tender. I made a pan sauce with red wine and fresh thyme, and it was delicious! I’ll have to try your recipe too– sounds wonderful with the mushrooms!
Oooh, that sounds wonderful as well.
The only cut I’ve ever cooked was a rack, and I managed to get that roasted to just pink as I’m not keen on either red meat nor anything rare. Was delicious, regardless of the fat!
I haven’t tried a rack of anything to date. I should, then I’ll have the bones for a great stock.
This cut of lamb would work well for Lancashire Hot Pot/Irish Stew; the difference lies in the name. Originally, (now, who knows?) the sheep of the Pennines had long ribs. The women who worked in the Lancashire mills would place the long-ribbed chops in a tall, heavy-bottomed pan. They would then layer this pan with potatoes, onions, maybe carrots, definitely parsley, a little salt and pepper, enough water to last the day. This would be placed on top of the coal range to cook all day (the original slow-cooker) while the women went to work. When they returned home, dinner was ready. And, this particular dish is very good:) Look to the artist Lowry, (I think J.S.) from Salford, near Manchester, for depictions of mill workers in the early 1900’s.
I’ll have to try that. :). I like a good stew.
I’ll be there for dinner around 6 ish……..:)
🙂 Do you know, I still can’t leave comments? I’ve been really enjoying your posts so I’ve been liking them.
O’ Yummmmm…I haven’t had lamb in such a long time I love lamb. Thanks for sharing this easy recipe:)
You’re welcome! I hope you try it. 🙂
Looks great. I think lamb shoulder is totally underrated. It’s a little tough, but the price point on it can’t be beat. I’ve always enjoyed it, especially on the grill.
Once it’s warmer I’ll try to grill some. Do a bit more experimenting!
Looks perfect!
Thank you. 🙂