Lamb Lover's Month

Did you know that February is Lamb Lover's Month? I didn't either, but it's a delicious way to spend a whole month.

A few weeks ago, I got an email titled "Lamb Gift." I thought it must be a joke from a friend (one of my many nicknames is Lamb), or at the very least, spam. On closer inspection, though, it was clear that it was an invitation to play around with some lamb recipes. Fast-forward a few weeks to a big box on my doorstep. Inside were 8 fat lamb chops from the American Lamb Board and tons of inspiration (including the amazing stickers above, which I may be enjoying more than the lamb itself).

I'm not usually a chop girl - there's bone to cut around, and it's a lot of work to get all the meat off. These chops, though, were tender and flavorful and made me think twice about buying chops in the future. I'm still more of a boneless leg fan, but if I'm just cooking for one, chops are a good way to go. And frankly, the last few times I've bought lamb, it's been from New Zealand and been just fine, but this American lamb was way tastier (and also from roughly 8000 miles closer to my home).

In the Boston area? Make sure to check out the Lamb Takedown on February 28th - 20 chefs will create tasty lamb dishes, and you can try them all! Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

With eight chops, I had some room to play around. I ended up making two very different marinades, letting them sit for about 5 hours to soak up the flavors since the chops were small. These marinades would be just as delicious on a boneless leg of lamb, but for that, I would double the recipe and marinade overnight.

I'm not sure which recipe I liked more - the apple rosemary mustard marinade is something more typical for lamb, whereas the apricot soy is a bolder flavor, and Asian-inspired flavors aren't common with lamb. Either way, I'm looking forward to making these both again.

Apple Rosemary Mustard Lamb (above)
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup spicy Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
4 lamb chops

Whisk together dry mustard, ground cloves, and apple cider vinegar and let stand 15 minutes. Add thawed apple juice concentrate, mustard, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, honey, and salt, and mix until well combined. Pour marinade into a large zip-top bag and add lamb chops. Let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Grill or pan-fry lamb for about 3-4 minutes on each side, then cover with tin foil and rest for a few minutes before serving.

Apricot Soy Lamb
1 cup apricot jelly or jam
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
4 lamb chops

Combine jelly, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour marinade into a large zip-top bag and add lamb chops. Let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Grill or pan-fry lamb for about 3-4 minutes on each side, then cover with tin foil and rest for a few minutes before serving.