Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Lamb on a Weeknight


I learned from my mother that Trader Joe's sells lamb tenders - a bit pricey at $12.99 per pound - but Luis doesn't like leg of lamb or lamb chops. The only lamb he likes is little lamb tender skewers we order when we go to Zarzuela's - our favorite Spanish restaurant.

My menu plan will stay simple to highlight the flavor of the lamb. I marinate the meat with a scant tablespoon of fresh rosemary, half a teaspoon of dried thyme, teaspoon of chopped garlic (one clove), salt, pepper and a tablespoon of lemon infused olive oil. It would be a hassle to set up the grill so I am going to broil the meat.


I will serve oven-roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli. I cut small white fresh potatoes in thin wedge slices and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. I lay the potatoes on a cookie sheet (the kind with edges), cover with tin foil and place in a 425-degree oven. After 10 min, I remove the foil, use a spatula to flip the potatoes and return to the oven for another 10 min. I continue to do this until they are cooked well but in this case I am not crisping them.

Shortly after placing the potatoes in the oven, I place the lamb tenders under the broiler. I turn them over after 10 minutes and cook them until a meat thermometer in the thickest part reaches 125 degrees. The meat should be a bit red and slightly juicy.
In the final stages of the potatoes, I turn on my broccoli, which is in a pan with a steamer. I like my vegetables to be fresh and green looking but steamed enough to take the crunch out of it. It was a nice meal and cooking time was as little as 30 minutes; total meal preparation time was an hour.

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