Irish Rosemary and Garlic Lamb

I have always loved lamb since the first time that my Gramma Donovan had made it for me when I was a little girl. She had made it for me often right up until my adulthood.  My Mother hated it and claimed that the mere smell of it cooking made her nauseous, she also didn't like Asparagus and some other vegetables that I had to later learn how to cook from my Grandmothers, Aunts, older Cousins, Grand Mother-In-Law and Mother-In-Law.  I was a culinary sponge after I got married.  I found as many cookbooks as I could get my hands on and read them cover to cover and repeat.  I find peace sitting in front of my the well stoked living room fireplace, snuggled on the sofa with a blanket and a new cookbook, along with either a cup of tea or hot chocolate in hand.  If I am not in the living room you can find me doing the same in my bedroom with the fireplace going.   I myself love to cook, bake and do canning.  I try to put my own twists on things, sometimes with trial and error, but thankfully mostly successes.   At times I even surprise myself with my own concoctions of a pinch of this and a splash of that.  I just wished that when I do that, I would write it all down because I forget after the fact what I had done.  I have now learned if I am going to be Fiddle Farting around in the kitchen (my Gramma Donovan's old saying), I better have a journal and a pen near by to either add or subtract something from the original recipe.  "Fiddle Farting" means to not be doing something in a hurry, taking one's time.  She would also say "Lollygagging" which is pretty much the same thing.  My Maternal Grandparents were quite colorful in their use of the English language, I don't know if it was because of them being Irish or not? They both had a great sense of humor and I would always look forward to either them visiting us or me going to their house.  Gramma always told us kids never to eat Green Apples, AKA: Granny Smiths because they caused "Colly Wobbles." As a young child that sounded like a terrible affliction to get, so I never questioned her words as to what it was and why they caused you to wobble like our Rough Coated Collie dog. Only years later did she tell me what they were.  I love Granny Smiths and have never had an issue with them.  "Collywobbles" mean to get a belly ache, not feeling too well inside.   Eating green apples is just an Old Wives Tale.

Of course with any good meat supper - dinner, we call it "Supper," (your evening meal)  you have to have "Pa-day-dahs" as my Grampa Donovan would call them, AKA: "Potatoes" to the rest of us.  As a kid I have always had potatoes with every meal that had meat or fish.  It didn't matter how they were prepared or served, they made an appearance on your plate, that's just how it was.  I continue the tradition here with my own family because after all, that's how it is. Is this an Irish thing?  I don't know and can't say for sure because it was never questioned.  So in remembrance of my Grands, this lamb recipe is for you.


Pre-heat your oven at 425-degrees Fahrenheit

What You Will Need:
Cast Iron Frying Pan or Oven Safe Skillet
Oven Mitts
Measuring Spoons
Oven Mitts

Ingredients:
2-Lamb Shoulder Chops
Salt and Pepper to taste
2-Garlic Cloves pealed and crushed or you can use Granulated
1-Tablespoon of fresh Rosemary or you can use dried
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  **I use a pump spray canister, it works really well**
Mint Jelly *Optional*

Cast Iron Frying Pan if you have one, they make a lovely sear on meat

First you want to strip the leaves (needles) off of the Rosemary and set them aside.
Put the Lamb on a plate. Rub one side of the Lamb completely with a little Olive Oil, not too much you don't want it saturated, Rub some of the garlic on the top of the meat, then add some of the Rosemary, Salt and Pepper.

Flip the Lamb over and repeat on this side.  You want both sides to have enough of the spices.
Spray your cast iron frying pan with just a little of the Olive Oil to coat evenly
Set your stove - range top for medium high heat.  Put your Cast Iron Frying Pan on the stove top and add the Lamb.

Here you can see the difference in using fresh Rosemary vs. dried.  The fresh is larger and                   more green - vibrant in color. Either is fine to use.

When the Cast Iron Frying Pan heats up you will get some smoking, this is normal.  If you have an exhaust fan on your stove - range hood I would turn it on.   Cook each side of the Lamb for about 2-3 minutes just to evenly brown them.

Once the Lamb is browned, put the Cast Iron Frying Pan in to the oven and bake them off for about 10-minutes or so, depending on how pink you like them. I like them medium rare myself.

Cut a slice in to the Lamb to see how pink they are inside after the 10-minutes, if it's too pink for your liking, pop them back in to the oven for a minute or two more. Watch them closely because they do cook quickly. Take the Lamb out of the oven and put them on a plate and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.  This keeps the juices inside of the meat you don't want the juices running out.  Now, add a little bit of water, or Red Wine about a 1/2 a cup to the dripping and stir, this will release the browned bits in the pan. AKA: De-glazing.  Spoon the drippings over your Lamb. I paired my lamb with a baked potato and sour cream, broccoli with cheese sauce. You can also use a dollop of Mint Jelly on the side.