Lamb – a surprisingly healthy choice!

Seemingly lamb has a bit of a reputation for being fatty and therefore may not be a first choice for healthy eating – what a shame and a misconception. The truth of the matter is that lamb provides high quality zinc, iron and protein which is especially important when losing weight as it not only curbs hunger but also speeds recovery after exercise and reduces muscle loss. This is certainly good news after the recent binge we've all been on!

I am the happy recipient of some lovely boneless leg of organic Welsh lamb from Rhug Estate Organic Farm  and am going to make some delicious dishes with it. Big headed or what!

I decided to cook my lamb four different ways and eat it all myself because as luck would have it my Real Man is not one for adventurous eating and in any case it’s my lamb!

Roast Lamb with Black Garlic

Firstly an idea I have been pondering for some while – how lamb would taste with black garlic.

4 lovely pieces of lean lamb meat – about 200g each
6 black garlic cloves
1 teaspoon (or more!) freshly and coarsely ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil
salt

~   Grind together the black garlic (which is very soft) and the black pepper using a pestle and mortar or a bowl and teaspoon.
~   Stir in the olive oil and slather this over the meat.
~   Cover and set aside in the fridge for several hours.
~   Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/170ºC fan/gas 5 and put an ovenproof dish in it.
~   Get the lamb out of the fridge.
~   When the oven is hot season the meat with a little salt and brown on all sides in a hot pan then transfer to the dish in the oven.
~   Roast for 15-20 minutes till to your liking.

The meat was superb; tender, tasty and juicy. I’m afraid I then did something a little fattening with the meat juices but you don’t have to – I set the lamb aside in a warm place to rest (all cooked meats benefit from a rest, as do I) and added a splash of port to the pan, simmered a minute then added a knob of butter. It all tasted wonderful but the sauce didn’t look so good in the photo!  Sorry about that!

Black garlic maybe an unfamiliar ingredient but is well worth investigating – it is sweet and rich and reminiscent of molasses and balsamic vinegar.

My second dish was ...

Souvlaki – for 4

You need metal or wooden skewers for this Greek dish.

750g lovely lean lamb leg meat – cut into 2½ cm/1” ish dice

5 tablespoons olive oil
the juice of one lemon
1 red onion – finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped, if you have it)

freshly ground black pepper

~   Basically mix together all the ingredients except the lamb and then stir in the lamb.

~   Cover and leave to marinate for at least 5 hours but considerably longer, eg overnight, if you can.
~   If you are using wooden skewers soak them in water as they are much less likely to char or catch fire that way.
~   Preheat the grill or pan.
~   Thread the lamb chunks on the skewers and season with salt.
~   Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally till just how you like them. A bit of char on the meat can be pleasant!

Serve with flatbread plus Tzatziki and Horiatiki or in other words minty cucumber and yogurt dip and Greek salad.

Thirdly out of respect to the Welshness of the meat …

Lamb & Leek Hotpot – serves 4

400g fresh leeks
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 crushed garlic clove
750g boneless leg of lamb – diced
another 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of flour
600ml hot vegetable or lamb stock
800g potatoes
salt and pepper
a little butter - optional

~   Cut off the root end of the leeks, remove the outer layer, cut in half lengthways and then slice. Wash leeks according to the useful instructions here. 

~   Cook the leeks in the 3 tablespoons of oil in accordance with the instructions for cooking leeks are on the same page. 

~   Season the lamb and in a separate pot brown them, a few pieces at a time, in the other two tablespoons of olive oil.  Getting a good colour on the meat is important for the flavour of the finished dish.
~   When the leeks are buttery tender stir in the garlic and the flour over low heat a few seconds.

~   Stir in the stock, bring to the boil stirring, turn off the heat and add the lamb to the pot.
~   Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325°F/140ºC fan/gas 3.
~   Peel and thinly slice the potatoes.
~   Arrange half the potato slices to cover the base of an ovenproof dish and season with a little salt and pepper.
~   Pour the lamb and its gravy over the potatoes.
~   Top with the rest of the potato slices and season.
~   Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours although check after an hour and a half to see how it is going and add a little more stock if it is drying out.
~   When all is tender remove the foil (dot with a little butter if you are not being too abstemious) and return the dish to the oven to brown the potatoes.

 On second thoughts I think my real man would like this if I left out the garlic! Perfect for the sort of weather we are having.

And finally another warming winter dish and one of my favourites …

Lamb Braised in Red Wine – serves 4

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
750g lean lamb leg meat – diced
1 large onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
½ tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
600ml red wine
a little stock

~   Heat the oil in a large saucepan and carefully brown the meat, a few pieces at a time so as not to overcrowd the pan, in it.  Set aside.
~   Add the onions and cook, stirring often, till softening and just starting to take colour.
~   Stir in the garlic and cook a minute.
~   Stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute.
~   Stir in the flour and, yes, cook another minute.
~   Add the red wine and bring to the boil.
~   Return the meat to the pan and if necessary add a little stock or water to bring the liquid just to the level of the top of the meat.
~   Cover with foil and then the lid, turn the heat to low and simmer for a couple of hours or so till very, very, very tender and wonderful.
~   If the sauce is a little runny for your taste remove the lamb and set aside whilst you boil the gravy down a little.

The meat cooked this way is rich, silky, tender, sticky and utterly delicious!

I usually do this with lamb shanks, the long slow cooks means that any fat melts and as it cools rises to the surface of the gravy. One chilled the fat can be lifted off before reheating which, as these sort of dishes always taste better the day after making, is the best thing to do.  Using the leg of lamb there was no fat on the gravy!

A Note on Welsh Lamb

Lamb is a lovely meat and Welsh Lamb is extra special; it has PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status certifying the integrity of the meat, that it has been traditionally reared and butchered to a very high standard or to put it another way, is some of the best lamb in the world. This was certainly true of what I have been eating this last week.

So if you love lamb but would like to eat healthily and maybe lose weight then no worries – just buy some of the leaner lamb cuts and cook mindfully.