It’s Ok, I’ll Make Lamb

When Jenni and I were sampling the wines at Balistreri Vineyards, Touring Denver – Part 2 – Balistreri Vineyards we were saying what the wines would go really well with, and surprisingly, lamb came up numerous times. I guess we were both hungry for some good lamb. When I found out that Jenni did not have to be back as early as we first thought, it was a great opportunity for me to fix us a us all a good lamb dinner.

I served the lamb with some sauteed vegetables, couscous and a deliciously smooth, red blend. No, the wine was not from Balistreri, but from InVintions instead.

On the way home, we stopped at Costco and picked up a lamb roast, and once we got home, I immediately started marinating it. I made an orange, red wine and pepper marinade for it.

Orange, Red Wine and Pepper Marinade

1 – 1 1/2 cups red wine

1/3 cup orange balsamic vinegar

1/4 red onion, diced very fine

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP mixed peppercorns, cracked and smashed

1 TBSP fresh oregano, rosemary and thyme, chopped fine

Mix everything together and coat the lamb, or beef or pork. Allow to marinade for at least 2 hours before cooking, if possible. We were still on a time crunch, so I was not able to marinade it for that long, but we still let it rest for about an hour before putting the lamb on the grill.

Once the lamb was on the grill, I reused the sauce to make a wine reduction sauce to top the lamb.

Put the sauce in a sauce pan and bring to a full rapid boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or so, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Make sure to stir frequently so it doesn’t burn.

Some people like to strain the sauce before topping the meat with it, so it is just the sauce, but I like all the extra goodies in my sauce. I think it adds a lot more personality to the dish.

Once the lamb was cooked to a nice medium rare, it was time to plate it up, top it off and dress it up. We seared it to make a nice crusty outer layer and the meat was juicy and tender on the inside. Perfect!

And voila! Dinner was served in hardly anytime at all. We all loved the lamb and the sauce. Larry was pleasantly surprised when he got home from work. He was expecting leftovers. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Stay well and stay safe Everyone. ‘Til next time.