This recipe comes from Guy Fieri, via Marisa McClellan, of the Food Network. We think it looks delicious but haven’t tried making it yet:

Leg O’Lamb Sandwich – The Weekender.

When I was younger, I was a voracious reader. One of my favorite book series in those days was the one about Betsy and Tacy, two girls growing up in the Midwest at the turn of the last century.

One of the events that occurs regularly in these books is Betsy’s family’s tradition of sharing their Sunday lunch with friends and family. This meal happens in the late afternoon and stars a giant platter of sandwiches that are always prepared by Betsy’s father.

Some weeks his sandwiches would feature cold roast meat, while others they’d be simple constructions of fried egg or thinly sliced onion that’d been well-seasoned. Served with coffee and slices of cake to follow, this seemed, to my mind, to be the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.

Last week, suddenly hit by a craving for a Betsy-Tacy-style sandwich party, I went in search of a little sandwich inspiration. What I found was Guy Fieri’s Roasted Leg o’ Lamb Sandwich. It’s a three-part recipe that has you marinate and roast off a piece of lamb, make a spicy from-scratch mayonnaise and then shred fennel, cabbage, onion and Brussels sprouts into a crunchy topping.

Roasted Leg of LambI prepared my lamb as Guy suggests (though I didn’t cook it quite as long as he recommends — just for 90 minutes, until the internal temperature was 130 degrees F) and took inspiration from the other two components of his dish. The finished sandwiches were meaty and so flavorful. My friends adored them and I do believe a new Weekender tradition of Sunday sandwiches has been born.

Before you start cooking, read these tips:

— If you don’t have time to make a specialty sauce for these sandwiches, do what I did: Stir canned chipotles in adobo sauce into store-bought mayonnaise. It’s plenty zippy and delicious, but a whole heck of a lot easier.

— In place of the suggested slaw, I cut sprouts and fennel thinly with a handheld slicer and tossed them with salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil. This quick salad offers crunch and texture.

— If lamb isn’t your thing, substitute roast beef or pork. They both go well with the sauce and slaw.

Marisa McClellan is a food writer and canning teacher who lives in Center City Philadelphia. Find more of her food (all cooked up in her 80-square-foot kitchen) at her blog, Food in Jars. Her first cookbook, Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round, is now available.

Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/02/roasted-leg-of-lamb-sandwich-the-weekender/?soc=dishfb&oc=linkback

Lavender Leg of Lamb
A friend of ours cooked this recipe for us once, and it was truly delicious! To purchase dried lavender flowers, I would recommend contacting Lynda Dowling at her lavender farm: http://www.happyvalleylavender.com/
1.5 pound Leg of lamb (boneless) 2 Tbsp Lavender flowers, dried
1 Tbsp White balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp Thyme, dried
1 tsp Whole sea salt 1 tsp red pepper flakes
½-1 cup Yogurt 1 large shallot
Wash and pat dry leg of lamb. (Do not remove netting or string.)
Drizzle with vinegar and rub in salt.
Mince shallot and stir into yogurt along with the other herbs and spices.
Spread yogurt mixture over leg of lamb in baking dish.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for ca. 1.5 hour, covered with lid or unbleached baking paper.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for ca. 1.5 hour, covered with lid or unbleached baking paper.

Honey-Lemon Rack of Lamb
• 2 racks of lamb, 7 to 8 ribs on each
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in thin slivers
• salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves or about 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Heat oven to 325°. Cut small slits all over the lamb and insert garlic slivers. Place the racks, bone side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, and garlic powder in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, over medium-low heat, until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel, mint, and pecans.
Spoon the honey mixture over the lamb. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, for about 30 to 45 minutes longer, or to about 160° F. on a meat thermometer for medium.
To use a meat thermometer, insert it in the meat so that the tip is in the center of the meat and not touching bone or the roasting pan.
Serves 4.

Here is a great recipe for lamb shanks, submitted by one of our visitors to the farm store.  I couldn’t figure out how to add the photos, unfortunately! Thank you for sending this to us.

4 lamb shanks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 small dried red chilli or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chilli
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 large carrot, quartered and finely sliced
6 sticks of celery, quartered and finely sliced
2 medium/large onions, quartered and finely chopped
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
170ml / 6fl oz dry white wine
6 anchovy fillets
2 x 400gr/14oz tins of plum tomatoes
1 handful of fresh basil, marjoram or flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Season the lamb with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Smash up the coriander seeds and dried chilli and mix with the chopped rosemary and dried marjoram.  Roll the lamb in this mixture, pressing it in well.  Dust the lamb with the flour.

Heat a thick-bottomed casserole pan, add the oil, brown the meat on all sides and then remove from the pan.  Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onions and a pinch of salt and sweat them until softened.  Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to reduce to a syrup.  Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.  Add the anchovies (these really seem to intensify the lamb flavour) and then add the tinned tomatoes, kept whole.  Shake the pan and return the lamb to it.  Bring to the boil, put on the lid and simmer in the oven at 180C/350F/gas5 for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further 1/2 hour.  Skim off any fat and taste for seasoning.  Finally, stir in a handful of roughly chopped fresh basil, marjoram or flat-leaf parsley.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons curry powder, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 lemon (including peel), seeded and finely chopped
• 3 cups apples – peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup dark raisins
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon water, if needed (optional)
• 6 (4 ounce) lamb chops
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with olive oil, and cook the onions and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in curry powder, coriander, cumin, salt, white pepper, thyme, lemon, apples, applesauce, dark raisins, and golden raisins until thoroughly combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer the sauce until it has the consistency of applesauce and the raisins are plump and starting to break apart, about 1 hour. Mix in a tablespoon of water if sauce starts to become too thick.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate. Sprinkle the lamb chops with seasoned salt.
3. Grill on the preheated grate until the chops are well-browned, cooked to your desired color of pink inside, and show grill marks, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a chop, not touching bone, should read about 145 degrees C (65 degrees C). Serve the lamb chops with the sauce on the side.
4. It is also possible to cook these in a frypan or on a cookie sheet in the oven.

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 (3 ounce) lamb chops
• 1/2 cup fresh unsweetened pomegranate juice
• 1 cup port wine
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Directions

1. Whisk together the lemon zest and juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a bowl; pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the lamb chops, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Set aside to marinate.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate. (Or cook in a frypan or on a cookie rack set on a cookie sheet in the oven.)
3. Bring the pomegranate juice and port wine to a simmer in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced to half of its original volume, about 45 minutes. Stir in the pomegranate seeds and set aside.

4. Remove the lamb from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook the chops on the preheated grill until they start to firm, and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Serve the chops drizzled with the pomegranate-port reduction.

 Ingredients     

• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds lamb chops

Directions

1. Mix together the vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and olive oil in a large resealable bag until the salt has dissolved. Add lamb, toss until coated, and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
3. Remove lamb from the marinade and leave any onions on that stick to the meat. Discard any remaining marinade. Wrap the exposed ends of the bones with aluminum foil to keep them from burning. Grill to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. The chops may also be broiled in the oven about 5 minutes per side for medium.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (6 ounce) lamb loin chops

Directions

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first eight ingredients; add the chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and discard marinade. Broil lamb 3-4 in. from the heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145 degrees F; medium, 160 degrees F; well-done, 170 degrees F).

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 12 (5.5 ounce) lamb chops
• 2 cups dry bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and the Worcestershire sauce; stir well. Dip each lamb chop in the sauce and then lightly dredge in the bread crumbs. Then arrange them in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes, turn chops over, and cook for 20 more minutes, or to desired doneness.