A Warm Lamb Salad Welcome to This Blog!

Best to start boldly and declare it: I love the taste of baby animals. LOVE. Lamb also happens to be the one meat you can get at the grocery that is humanely raised, since there isn't enough of a demand for it to factory-farm them. And thankfully, Whole Foods Market sells pasture-raised veal, so I can get my osso bucco fix that way. Why sentimentalize baby animals but not the adults? Especially when they are so tasty.

Since I'm on such a tight budget yet want to buy meat that is as humane as possible, I either buy meat raised and slaughtered locally at my farmer's market (easy to get the good stuff in South-Central PA) or I scout for excellent reduced prices in the good section of the meat aisle at the local GIANT. I made this recipe after I happily landed some lamb shoulder blade steaks, .81 lbs total, for a mere $2.38. I have gotten three separate meals out of the salad and froze the stock for lamb stew--that's a bargain!

This easy recipe is adapted from Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly's The Complete Meat Cookbook, which has never failed to deliver truly awesome recipes. You can serve it as a first-course or as a light lunch. It rewarms very nicely in my toaster oven; not sure what a microwave would do to the meat. Still, cold lamb is to be avoided.

Warm Lamb Salad
Serves 4-6

for the lamb
1 lb. bone-in or lamb shoulder, trimmed of all fat (leave bone in for stock)
1 medium onion, unpeeled, cut in half
2 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 carrot, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups water or chicken stock

for the salad dressing
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for the salad
3-4 cups cubed, cooked potatoes (red, fingerling, or other boiling variety)
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
4 green onions or scallions, finally chopped
1/2 pound fresh chopped tomatoes or blanched green beans (or both!)
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

To prepare lamb:
Place the trimmed meat in a large pot with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cover. Simmer for 1.5-2 hours, or until the meat is quite tender. Remove the meat, discard the vegetables (but do eat the carrot!), and put the meat back in the stock to cool, covered, in the stock. Save the stock for soup. When the meat is cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4" slices and reserve.

To make the salad dressing:
Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl, pulse briefly in a food processor, or (my choice) place in a glass jar with lid and shake to emulsify.

To assemble the salad:
Gently toss the meat, potatoes, and other vegetables with the dressing, preferably while the lamb and potatoes are still warm. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once.