Leftover Lamb Open-Faced Sandwich with Cheese

I enjoyed these leftover lamb sandwiches more that the roast itself!

Regrettably, here in the States, unlike Europe, we do not eat much lamb. Here, beef is king! That is unfortunate. Today's lamb, unlike tough mutton of years past, is mild in taste ... and tender. Today's lamb needs no mint to mask its once-assertive muttony or funky taste!

In the States, lamb is prevalent during Easter, but pretty scarce the remainder of the year. Usually, most expensive cuts, like lamb chops show up but they are ridicuosly priced. Even more expensive than steak! An entire leg of lamb ...  Yikes ... I have never seen an entire leg of lamb where I shop here in the South. No. Not. Ever.

I especially love when it is grilled and I love it a bit on the rare side with a squeeze of lemon. Lots and lots of garlic and rosemary! Juicy crispy fat!

Once, a zillion years ago, to celebrate my grandparent's anniversary, my family drove from northwest Indiana to Chicago for a meal at the famed Parthenon restaurant. It was incredible! Rather, the lamb was incredible. Huge, thick slices! And bottles of that reddish Greek wine to wash it all down. What a fun night.

Leftover lamb warmed up is just so-so. Maybe some gravy and a side or two. Kind of boring. Hmmm ... what to do?

SO,  I came up with these super-easy, open-faced sandwiches. How good were they? Well, let's just say that next time I roast lamb, I will make sure I have a lot extra!

For two days I debated what kind of cheese to use. ... Blue? Roquefort? Feta? All would be great. Finally, I settled on a dill Havarti for its warm melting qualities. I used a block rather than slices. The dill complements the tzatzki sauce. Tzatzki is now readily found in most supermarkets in the deli section.

This is not really a recipe .... just a process ... I imagine one could also use ham, even chicken!

I baked mine directly on the rack in a toaster oven set on the "bagel" setting until the cheese was lovingly melting and just beginning to drip. Maybe 10 minutes! In a traditional oven, I would bake at around 350 F on a cookie sheet until the cheese begins to melt.

I recommend a block of cheese because you can slice it thick and it will take longer to melt than thin slices-- allowing lamb to warm through.

• 1 Kaiser roll, cut horizontally
• Red onion, sliced razor thin
• Tzatziki sauce, about 1/4 cup
• 1 Roma tomato
• Sliced, leftover lamb
• Havarti-Dill cheese

Cut tomato in half horizontally. Squeeze out juice and seeds. Cut into thin slices.

Spread about 2 tablespoons tzatzki sauce over each half of the roll. Place a few of the razor-thin onion slices on top. Arrange lamb, as much as you like, for the next layer.  Place tomatoes on top and crown with cheese.

Bake, according to instructions set above!

This ... just great! Enjoy!

Oh, Yea!

Rack of Lamb with Herbs and Garlic

(Epicurious.com photo)

I once received a rack of lamb as a gift. How great was that? Below is how I prepared it. I suspect that the garlic-herb mixture would be good on any part of lamb. It is now pretty easy to buy a rack of lamb already "Frenched" for you sealed in a cryo-vac pakaged. "Frenched" means the bones or ribs have been scrapped to serve as a kind of "handle."

This recipe is from epicurious.com. I did not change one thing, it is that great!
For the Lamb:

• 2 (8-rib) Frenched racks of lamb, each about 1.5 lbs. trimmed of all but a thin layer of fat
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Herb Coating

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Instant-read thermometer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the lamb:

Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (I use a cast-iron skillet) over high heat until hot, at least 2 minutes. 

Meanwhile, pat lamb dry and rub meat all over with salt and pepper. Add oil to hot skillet, then brown racks, in 2 batches, if necessary, on all sides (not ends), about 10 minutes per batch. Have your hood range on and/or window open. Transfer racks to a small (13 x 9) roasting pan. 

Coat the Lamb:

Stir together garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and oil. Coat meaty parts of lamb with herb mixture, pressing to help adhere. On middle oven rack, roast 15 minutes, then cover lamb loosely with foil and roast until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 120ºF, 5-10 minutes more. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Cut each rack into 4 double chops.

Notes: It's important to finely mince the herbs. A rough chop will simply allow them to burn.

Homemade Lamb Sausages with Feta, Rosemary, Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Simmering sausages allows the spices to shine. Frying and grilling
literally burns them away.

Yes, you can make your own sausages. All you need is ground meat and some small Ziploc freezer bags. And, I guarantee you, they will taste better than anything you purchased pre-packaged or frozen. (More Ziploc sausage recipes can be found here: Kitchen Bounty: sausages.

With Easter just a short memory behind us, lamb is still abundant, particularly ground lamb. And it's pretty reasonably priced, too. One pound will yield four sausages. Don't be afraid to experiment with your spices. Lamb loves spices. Since the sausages are simmered and not fried or grilled, the cheese stays intact instead of melting away.

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 heaping tablespoon freshly minced rosemary, needles only, no stems (stems can puncture the plastic bag when forming the sausage)
• 1 heaping teaspoon minced or pressed garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced parsely
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) dried thyme flakes
• 4 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked in hot water, drained and chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons Feta cheese crumbles
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• pepper
• Pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water (scant)

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. To test, take a small teaspoon of the meat and microwave for about 15 seconds. Taste. Re-season if necessary, paying close attention to salt.

If possible, refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to mix, or for a few hours.

Place 1/2 cup meat mixture inside a Ziploc freezer bag. Form into a sausage shape by sliding the meat down into bag with the edge of your hand. Expel air and seal carefully. Roll. At this point they may be frozen for future use.

Fill a large pot of water 3/4 full and bring to a boil. Reduce to a slow, slow simmer. Place sausages into water trying not to allow the top of the bag to sink into the water. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove sausages from pot and allow to sit for about five minutes. The fat will rise to the top of the bag. Removes sausages. If you'd like to serve them with their natural juices, carefully make a small cut in the corner of the bag and drain the juices.

Serve plain or with Tzatziki (cucumber) sauce.

SAUSAGE ADVICE

1. Use name-brand, pint-sized plastic bags. Generic are usually thinner and the corners leak so you will lose the poaching liquid inside the bag resulting in a very dry sausage. Name-brand, such as Ziploc, do not contain BPA, a harmful chemical.
2. Use less, not more, of each spice if in doubt. You can always add more later on. Keep a notepad nearby to record what you add.
3. I actually prefer dried spices and herbs, but prefer fresh garlic that is smashed into a paste. Use fresh cheese, not canned/powdered which can dry the sausage.
4. After mixing, place a good teaspoonful on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds or until no pink remains in center. Taste. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
5. The ideal sausage mixture is 70/30. Pre-ground pork is 80/20, but it's okay. If you have a friendly butcher, he will be more than happy to grind some fresh suet for you. You can also add ground bacon. Allow it to partially freeze, cut into chunks and grind in your food processor. But remember it will alter the taste of your sausage.
6. As the sausages poach, they will shrink. Sometimes the bag will, too.
7. Be sure to add the water to your mix. This adds moisture and helps to incorporate the spices.
8. If possible, refrigerate your mixture for several hours or overnight before forming into sausages.
9. These freeze beautifully. I allow mine to thaw before poaching. 
10. If you want, carefully remove sausages a bit before they are done and brown in a bit of butter/olive oil. 
11. Smoked paprika adds great smoky taste to homemade sausages.
12. Because they are lower in fat than regular sausages, condiments work well with Ziploc sausages.
13. If your sausage mixture ends up too strong in spicy flavors, form into patties and fry. Frying reduces the strong tastes. 
14. Here's a great site for sausage recipes and even supplies: Len Poli's Sausage Making - Homemade Sausage Formulations and Recipes