When I first cooked lamb, I put a shoulder roast in the crock pot. Afterall, what's easier than a crock pot? It was so.amazingly.delicous. I don't make it nearly as often as I like, mainly because it's pricey and not always accessible. A couple weekends ago my husband and I came across a farmer selling lamb at our winter farmer's market. They only accepted cash, and I had very little, so I sprung for the ground lamb instead of the rack of lamb. Not the same, by the way, but still tasty!
If you've never eaten lamb, I would suggest rack of lamb or a roast for your first experience as ground lamb doesn't do it justice. However, if you are cooking it for the first time I've got a simple recipe that will go with either ground lamb or roast. It is actually pretty simple to cook rack of lamb as well, but I understand that might be a bit intimidating for your first time!
Lamb has been known to be higher in cholesterol, so I wouldn't suggest eating it everyday, but the other vitamins and minerals you get from it make up for those times you decide to indulge. Lamb actually has a high nutritional value and is a good source of vitamin B12, zinc and iron. Did I mention it's delicious?
Greek Pitas with Lamb serves 4
adapted from Women's Health
1 lb ground lamb, or a 2 lb roast
1 cucumber, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 pint kalamata or other Greek olive
1 package feta cheese, crumbled
1 lemon
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 package whole wheat pitas (could substitute gluten-free, if needed)
Brown your ground lamb and drain the fat, or if you are cooking the roast, cook in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.
Cut up all of your veggies, place in a bowl with the feta. Mix the juice from one lemon, olive oil, salt & pepper and pour over veggies/cheese. Let marinate for 30 min.
Assemble everything over a pita. Enjoy!
Have you eaten lamb before? If not, is it something you think you'll experiment with? If so, leave us a comment and tell us about it!
XO,
Nicole