Ground Lamb Stroganoff

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big meat eater (10 years as a fake vegetarian will do that), but Aaron has gotten me to eat lamb from the farmer's market. He made this a couple of weeks ago and it really is so good and so easy. This would be perfect for a mid-week meal or any time you're really hungry and the idea of cooking sounds awful. Plus, it doesn't make the house too hot, which I like.

Stroganoff is usually made the strips of meet, generally beef (as in the original), but I think it worked really well (not that I'd really know the difference).

Ground Lamb Stroganoff from Diana Rattray (About.com Guide):

1 lb. ground lamb
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tb. butter
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. all-purpose flour
1 c. chicken broth
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
3 Tb. sour cream, room temperature
8 oz. rotini noodles

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan and blend in flour to make a roux. Gradually stir in chicken broth, stirring and cooking until thickened and smooth. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; quickly brown lamb and onion on all sides. Depending on your lamb, you will want to drip a lot of the fat off. Add meat and onions to roux and sauce mixture. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil noodles, drain, and set aside.

Stir in sour cream and heat through but do not boil. Serve over noodles.

Shepherd's Pie

Normally I frown upon the use of Rachael Ray recipes because, well, it’s her, but Aaron made this delicious thing and I loved it so much, I was able to deal with it. Plus, he heavily modified the original, so that’s even better. And, credit where credit is due, the mashed potatoes on top rock. We’ve had this three times now and I can’t believe Aaron found a way to get me to eat lamb. He picked it up from a vendor at the farmer’s market and it is so incredible. I have decided that the sheep must have been very well treated, but ugly, so it’s okay for me to eat it. Plus, it tastes really, really good. There’s a bit of prep involved in making this, but comes together rather quickly. It’s also amazing as lunch the next day.

Shepherd’s Pie heavily modified from 30 Minute Meals:

Serves 4

1 lb. potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
Spoonful sour cream
1 large egg yolk
½ c. milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for pan
1 lb. ground lamb
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
½ onion, chopped
TJ’s gravy
Green beans (fresh or canned)
Paprika
Cheddar cheese, grated

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and milk and add mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in gravy until warm. Mix in cooked green beans and remove from heat.








Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with cheddar cheese and paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned.

Serve and enjoy.

It’s such a warm and homey recipe. Seriously. It’s especially good since it’s been pouring in Portland and even though it’s June, the idea of summer seems so far away. There’s a bit in the fridge still and I might have to go sneak some bites of it right now.