LUSCIOUS LAMB
Don't shy away from this succulent choice for your Easter or Passover celebration.

Published on 03/23/05
BY NATHALIE DUPREE
Special to The Charleston Post and Courier

An unthinking friend said to me the other day, "Well, your grandchildren are weird!"

She immediately backtracked, of course, but in her heart of hearts, she believed that for a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old to want lamb and Brussels sprouts is strange. Well, that's what they requested last year for the holidays when they were those ages, so they're going to get it this year when they visit, too!

My husband says he didn't eat lamb until his 20s. The average American eats only 1 pound of lamb a year. Why? Maybe you would answer, "Well, it smells too strong," or, "I don't like it cold or reheated." Perhaps you are one of the many Americans who have never had excellent lamb, such as the lamb steaks my husband and I had at Nina and Tom Tisdale's home. After we oohed and aahed, they said the steaks were cut from a boned leg of lamb, which they special-ordered by mail from Jamison Farm (800-237-5262 or www.jamisonfarm.com). Being cooked perfectly helped, too.

What we'll see on the spring table for the celebrations of Easter and Passover is a different lamb than in years past, when a family cooked and ate a 5-pound leg of lamb. A whole leg of lamb almost has disappeared from grocery stores. There's a reason: An average American leg of lamb is 9 pounds. It takes a family of giants to eat 9 pounds, even after the bone is removed.

The average American lamb is larger and older than spring lambs used to be.

It's larger because it is a larger breed, usually Suffolk, and is allowed to grow older, usually a year, so that more money can be made.

About the age of lamb: Ideally, a lamb is slaughtered when it is 3 to 5 months. The older a sheep gets, the stronger the lanolin flavor, which is that muttony, strong flavor at the back of your mouth. An older sheep also is flabbier. Age, after all, is age, and is accompanied by loss of body tone. A young lamb has neither a musk gland nor a fell, the thin skin covering the fat. If you see a 5-pound leg of lamb in the store, it is most probably from New Zealand or Australia. Their lambs are a smaller breed, mostly bred for their wool, so even though I prefer their lambs to the larger American lambs, they do have a stronger taste. Their legs usually are around 5 pounds before boning, and frequently are sold frozen.

About freezing lamb: Any meat product is better flash-frozen and sealed than if it is sent to you fresh and you freeze it yourself. Only buy fresh if you are going to use it soon. Otherwise, buy it frozen.

And lamb tastes better according to what it eats, just like a chicken does.

Most leg of lamb is best served rare or medium rare. One of the virtues of a leg of lamb is that since there is so much variety in the thickness of the leg, you get rare meat in the middle of the larger portions, and well-done in the narrower.

I admit it, I have to fight with the little ones for the rare portions of a whole boned leg, even a 5-pound one. So a butterflied round roast will serve us well — mostly rare.

RECIPE

This recipe is quick and easy and was developed by my apprentice, Ashley Strickland. The top round is a nice size to feed a family of four. Here, domestic lamb was used, which generally is larger than imported meat.

For a different twist, substitute cumin, honey and grated orange peel in the herb rub for the rosemary and thyme.

Broiled Lamb with Herbs

1 (2-pound) top round of lamb

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Butterfly the lamb. To butterfly, pretend the meat is a book. Place your hand on top, and with a sharp knife make a slit along the side as if you are cutting the pages.

Continue cutting through the center of the meat while applying pressure to the top until you almost reach the other side. Do not cut all the way through. "Open" the meat so each side is even and about 1-inch thick. Trim the gristle and set aside.

Stir together the herbs, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper. Rub all over one side of the lamb, making sure to fill all the crevices.

Lay the lamb, herb mixture down, on a broiling pan and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the broiler.

After it has completed marinating, broil for about 5 minutes. Take the meat out of the oven and turn it so that herbs are facing up, and broil for another 5 minutes, or until brown.

Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes and then slice and serve.