Spiced Lamb Burgers(sliders)... with yoghurt sauce and baby kale.

Spiced Lamb Burgers(sliders)... with yoghurt sauce and baby kale. Lately I've been enjoying baby kale salads like never before. Love the baby kale. SO much better in salads than the big leafy kind.  When I first bought a bag some time ago, I bought it mainly to see how different it tastes... and well, for the vitamins too:). But I was pleasantly surprised. The baby variety was much milder than the adult version and so delicious. Plus I love how well it keeps in the fridge. Most salads wilt before the week is over, but with the baby kale, I've managed to go much longer than that. And I also like how well it does even when lightly dressed with vinegar and olive oil... stands up quite well without going too limp. I personally like to massage the kale ever so slightly with a bit of olive oil before I add the vinegar and seasoning... but I'll only do that if I'm serving the salad right away, otherwise I won't bother. Massaging the kale works perfectly with the adult kale. In any case, we've really been enjoying kale salad quite a bit lately... with all sorts of additions.

But one day I happened to look in my fridge... was sort of doing an inventory. Wanted to make lunch that day and realized I had defrosted a small bag of lamb meat. Wondering how I was going to use the meat, I kept looking in the fridge for ideas.  I had a bit of feta cheese and yoghurt in my deli drawer and thought to combine those ingredients together. Then I immediately thought of making mini burgers with a twist. 

I normally prefer traditional burger toppings, but this time I had no lettuce on hand, no pickles and no fresh tomatoes. But I did have kale, some dried tomatoes, olives and onion. I figured I'd make a couple of sauces to go with the burgers... going the middle-eastern route. And even as I was seasoning the lamb and making the sauces, I quickly realized I had no bread. Didn't want to go buy any, so I used my tried and true version of rolls that I absolutely love... soft and pillowy.  Perfect for sliders. Yield is just right, as you'll have a few rolls to freeze for another time.  

The meal came together  rather quickly, considering I made the rolls as well:). The burgers were just delicious with the kale salad and different sauces. I loved both sauces, but preferred the feta and olive version a tad bit more.... my husband liked both. So here's a  different take on the classic hamburger. Hope you enjoy...       

Note: I added the egg to make the patties a bit softer, but if you are allergic to eggs, you can omit. Also, my meat was self-ground, so it could easily take an egg, but if you use store-bought, you may not need the egg. 

Tip: Feel free to use beef, turkey or a mix of meats instead of the lamb.

You will need:

Lamb burgers:

1 lb ground lamb

1/3 of a medium onion, grated

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

3/4 tsp hot smoky paprika(you could use sweet smoky paprika)

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 egg

1 tsp dried mint

Kale salad: to taste

kale

olive oil

apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. Grind meat, or use store-bought. I used a leg of lamb. Grind onion, or grate. Add to meat.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for an hour or more. This helps the meat mixture firm up a bit and intensify in flavor.

3. Form 9 patties (about 3 inch) and grease both sides with a bit of oil. The meat can be a bit soft, so be gentle. Place on a plastic wrapped plate or parchment-lined plate.

4. Preheat grill to med-high.

5. Cook patties 3-4 minutes on each side... or until cooked to preference. 

Make Kale Salad:

1. Simply add a bit of olive oil, massage the kale with your hands lightly until it softens a bit. Add some apple cider vinegar along with salt and pepper. This is all to taste...

Assemble:

1. Top bun with a handful of dressed kale, a lamb patty, and a dollop of yoghurt sauce.  Enjoy!

 Make sauces...  

Sundried Tomato Yoghurt Sauce

You will need:

6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fine( I used the dry w/out oil)

1/4 tsp onion powder

6-8 TBS Greek yoghurt

2 TBS mayonnaise

salt and pepper, as needed 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and allow to chill in fridge until ready to use. You may need to add a bit more yoghurt especially if you are using the dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil. The dried-only version tends to absorb the liquid from the yoghurt... makes the sauce thicker. So start out with 6 TBS yoghurt and adjust if needed.

Feta and Olive Yoghurt Sauce

You will need:
6 TBS Greek Yoghurt
2 TBS mayonnaise
3 TBS feta cheese, crumbled
2 TBS kalamata olives, chopped fine
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 TBS minced red onion
salt and pepper, as needed

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients, and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Spiced Lamb Kebabs

Spiced Lamb Kebabs. Even though it's winter, I still often crave something that's grilled. Granted I sometimes have to shovel some of the snow off the deck to get to the grill, but I manage... because the grill flavor can't be beat sometimes. 

I've had this recipe bookmarked for some time now... been waiting to make it when I have the craving for some middle-eastern food:). Normally, I don't cook heavily spiced dishes, but from time to time I like to change things around and bring out the spices from my pantry. 

My freezer normally has some sort of meat, be it chicken, beef, or lamb. Most times I like to portion out the meat I freeze in smaller quantities. Sometimes I like to weigh out the meat beforehand then label according to weight, be it 2 lbs, 1lb  or 8 oz. This helps in the future, because smaller quantities defrost quicker, and it also helps with taking out just the right amount I need. And because I like to grind my own meat, it sort of makes sense to portion the meat for later use.  

This dish for me was quick to make and very flavorful. And because I had some ripe tomatoes on hand I chose to grill those as well, but you can grill other vegetables you have on hand, and make a meal by adding some basmati rice or quinoa... even a combination of rice and quinoa. The leftovers( if there are any) are wonderful re-heated and wrapped up in a flatbread with some yoghurt-cucumber or tahini-lemon sauce with a sprinkling of feta cheese.... similar to the greek gyros. Definitely brings out a bit of summer in the winter. Hope you enjoy...    

Tip: I am sure you can use other ground meat of choice... beef, chicken, turkey or  a combination. 

You will need: adapted from Saveur

1 1⁄2 lbs. ground lamb

1/3 cup+1 TBS grated onion

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

3 1/2 TBS paprika (or aleppo pepper, if you have)

1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional 

2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste(can use a bit less) 

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp dried oregano leaves

2 tsp dried mint leaves, crumbled*

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

a drizzle of extra oil

chopped cilantro, optional

* I ended up using a mint tea bag, since I didn't have any dried mint

Directions:

1. Grind lamb, or use pre-ground meat. I ended up grinding mine from a boneless lamb leg.

2. Combine ground lamb and onion in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add paprika (or aleppo pepper), salt, cumin, oregano, mint, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
4. Pour the somewhat cooled spice mixture over the reserved lamb mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands.

5. Divide lamb mixture into 6 portions and roll each into a thin flat cylinder about 1 inch thick. Slide a flat metal skewer into each cylinder and press the meat around the skewer, flattening it a bit.... my metal skewers were thin, so I added another skewer to hold the meat in place a bit better.

6. Transfer skewers to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.

7. Heat a gas grill to medium-high (alternatively, heat broiler and position rack 7" from heating element). 

8. Drizzle a bit of oil over each kebab to coat.

9. Grill or broil the kebabs, turning once, until browned and a bit charred on the outside... should take about 4 minutes per side or so. 

10. Serve with chopped cilantro, yoghurt, grilled tomatoes, and flat bread.... or for gluten free, use lettuce wraps.

Asian- Style Cabbage Stir-fry(without noodles or rice)... and lettuce wraps.

Asian- Style Cabbage Stir-fry(without noodles or rice).... and lettuce wraps. I've been making this dish for some time now. Well, ever since last year, when I decided to challenge myself to make a stir-fry without the use of noodles or rice. My experiment at the time was to use cabbage in order to mimic noodles. Starting out, I knew I needed to caramelize the cabbage in little or no liquid because I needed the cabbage to stay firm without getting soft and mushy. The next part was to cook the rest of the ingredients in stages. This would limit the amount of liquid/steaming brought on by overcrowding of vegetables. The dish turned out so well, that we deemed it a success! Since then, I've made  the cabbage stir-fry using a variety of vegetables and seasonings(even used Korean gochuchang). It's always been delicious.

The other day, I had 2/3 of a cabbage remaining in my fridge. I had bought it to use it as a salad throughout the week and had used part of it. But when I spotted some leftover roast lamb, I immediately thought of the cabbage stir-fry and decided to use the meat and the remainder of the cabbage. Now, I normally shy away from sharing my experiments in the kitchen, and for the most part they don't ever get posted. In the past, I've shared some "experiments" and noticed they've been well received and even tried. So on the spur of the moment I decided to take some photos and share the recipe with you. A recipe I've been making and love so much. However, I'm posting the recipe as I made it this time around, but it changes according to what's in my fridge or pantry. So feel free to be creative. 

My purpose in sharing the recipe, is to introduce the idea of using cabbage to make a low-carb/gluten-free Asian stir-fry. I've noted some tips below to help the recipe go smoother. We normally have the stir-fry as a main dish, but this time around I decided to use it in lettuce wraps. It's delicious either way... well, as long as you like cabbage:). But it's worth trying at least once. I admit it is a bit tedious in that you have to cook things separately, but it's worth it in the end. Hope you enjoy...

Note: The trick to getting this dish right is to cook the vegetables in batches so they caramelize and not steam. 

Ingredient amounts can easily be adjusted to taste... some can be skipped and other ingredients added, as you would in any Asian stir-fry. The basic step is to cook the cabbage till dry and caramelized, from there you can get creative and use what you have in  the fridge.  The overall  dish should be somewhat moist but loose(not too much clumping)... definitely not saucy. 

Tip: This dish can be gluten-free, if you use a GF soy sauce... or any GF stir-fry sauce. The meat can be exchanged with shrimp or even squid rings. Eggs can be omitted as well as peanuts, if you are allergic. Mushrooms as well can be omitted.  Obviously, these changes will change the outcome of the dish, but it's definitely doable:).     

You will need: It really helps having your ingredients mise en place.

Stir-fry-Cabbage Mix:

2/3 of a green cabbage(medium), shredded thinly

1 large onion, sliced thin

4+ TBS olive oil, or as needed

1-1 1/2 cup cooked meat( I used lamb), sliced thin

1 red jalapeno, or to taste

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, grated

1/4 cup water, white wine or stock to deglaze, or as needed

1 carrot, julienned

1/2 cup dried woodear mushrooms, rehydrated*

1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated*

* you can use fresh mushrooms, just stir-fry until no longer wet

Sauce: can use your own favorite stir-fry sauce to taste

2 TBS soy sauce, or to taste

2 tsps, toasted sesame oil, or to taste

2 tsp rice vinegar, or to taste

pinch of sugar, optional   

Stir in:

2 eggs, scrambled, cut in pieces

salt and pepper as needed

Additional for Lettuce Wraps:

Romaine leaves, trimmed or butter lettuce

sliced leek, or chives or green onions

chopped peanuts, or other nut of choice

sauce of choice.* 

*My husband loves the Yeri Yeri teryaki brand, but you can use any Asian sauce of choice. Personally, I like to omit the extra salt. But when the cabbage stir-fry is added in the lettuce wraps, it sort of asks for extra seasoning.  

Directions:

1. If using dehydrated mushrooms, boil enough water so you can pour over dried mushrooms to re-hydrated  Allow to sit  for about 10 minutes or so or until fully re-hydrated. Squeeze dry and set aside.

2. Julienne the cabbage and onion... I like to use my hand held mandoline for even thickness.

3. Heat a large skillet  with about 2 TBS olive oil. Add onion and cook on medium heat until nicely caramelized.... about 5-8 minutes. Allow to catch some color without stirring and then stir every so often. Remove and set aside.

4.  Lower heat to low add another 2 TBS of olive oil and then the cabbage. Stir to coat and  scrape any brown bits that may have formed on the pan from the onions. You can add a TBS of water to help release, but do not add too much water as you want to caramelize the cabbage eventually.

5. Increase heat to medium(adjusting as needed)  and cook cabbage until medium caramelized ....Allow cabbage to catch some color without stirring and then stir every so often. If you need to add a bit more oil, you can. This will take about 15 minutes, so be patient and watch/stir cabbage so it doesn't burn. You want the cabbage to get "dry". Remove and set aside. 

6. To skillet, add cooked meat and chile. Stir-fry on med/low for 2-3 minutes, adding about 1/4 cup water/wine/stock to deglaze pan from the cabbage. Allow liquid  to evaporate. Remove and set aside.

7. Add rehydrated mushrooms, carrot, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry on med/low(scraping any bits on the bottom) for another minute or so.  

At this point, if you would like to use fresh mushrooms, cook them first then add the carrot, ginger and garlic, making sure the mixture is on the drier side.     

8. To the mushroom mixture, on low heat, add the reserved cooked, onion, cabbage, meat and chile and combine.

9. Add  sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar(if using). Stir to combine. Set aside

At this point you can also use any prepared stir-fry sauce of choice and add to taste. I've made a Korean version before, by adding some gochuchang. So use what you like.

10. In a separate pan(or you can use the same pan, just move the cabbage stir-fry to the side) cook eggs and cut or break up in pieces. Add to cabbage stir-fry. Adjust seasoning. 

11. Serve hot, as is... or use in lettuce wraps with sauce of choice, chopped peanuts and sliced leeks or green onion.   

Turkish Lamb Lahmacun... flat-bread pizza with minced lamb.

Turkish Flat-bread Lamb Lahmacun... and a quick version. One day, while watching a documentary on different foods of the world, I happened to see a clip that focused on Turkish cuisine. I absolutely love it when they showcase outdoor farmer's markets... that's where you can see the culture come alive in foods and wares that are specific to a region. In any case, this little documentary I was watching focused on Turkish foods and the popular "fast food" item, called Lahmacun. 

I had never heard of Lahmacun before, but I found out it's basically a Turkish flat-bread pizza that uses a raw spiced meat mixture as the base for the topping. But placing raw minced meat on a flat bread wasn't new to me. I posted a Greek version(Open-faced Kofta) some time ago, which is quite similar. And some time ago, my sister told me of an Armenian version that sounded very, very similar to the Turkish version of the Lahmacun. I suppose various countries have their own take on the classic pizza... quite fascinating, actually. 

Yet, the idea behind the Turkish version is the tomato-based meat mixture as well as its very thin dough that's "rollable". The Lahmacun can be stuffed with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, onion and parsley and drizzled with some yoghurt sauce or a squeeze of lemon juice. Acidity is rather important to the Lahmacun, because you really need to cut the "sweetness" of the tomato paste lamb mix. In my opinion, the lemon just brightens the dish and brings it altogether. But I loved the idea of a rolled up pizza. And I knew I wanted to make it. Didn't wait long and found a recipe...

Oh, I sure enjoyed this pizza! If you are looking for a different sort of pizza, one that takes you to a different country, you just might want to make the Lahmacun. You've got to be open minded though, as this Lahmacun is loaded with various flavors not normally found on a traditional pizza. All sorts of ingredients can be added... the common ones being tomato paste, garlic, onion and paprika. But from there, recipes can vary quite a bit... there's the addition of sumac, cumin, cinnamon, and others. But it was the addition of cumin and cinnamon that transported me to a land far away... of course, if you like staying close to home, opt to skip the cinnamon:).... especially if you aren't used to cinnamon in savory foods. But I personally loved it, as it wasn't overly pronounced. 

The Lahmacun can easily be a wonderful appetizer, cut up in small pieces...  but it can also be a meal in itself. You'll find Lahmacun varies from place to place, depending on the spices used. Interestingly, there's also a different take on it... made with spinach and feta cheese, a vegetarian version I haven't yet tried, but sounds delicious as well. I ended up looking at Saveur's version  for the Lahmacun I made... and from there, I sort of adjusted the measurements. I wanted to use a bit more meat... so I could try a  quicker version of the Lahmacun, using tortillas instead of the yeasted dough. Because I increased the amount of meat, I also ended up adjusting some of the spices as well... but you can easily play around with spice amounts according to preference. 

I found out that using tortillas for the base of the pizza works remarkably well, especially if you are short on time. I liked both... but preferred the homemade yeasted dough because it tastes more like a pizza:)... and it's more traditional. But, regardless, what you use, be it tortillas or the yeast dough, you'll definitely taste a different sort of pizza. It's delicious... or at least I think so:). Hope you enjoy...   

Note: When baking the Lahmacun, if the homemade dough is stretched out thin enough, you will notice the crust bakes up quite crispy. I like to sort of cover them( after I remove them from the oven) so they soften up a bit and can be "rollable"...  the moist meat topping will naturally soften over time without being covered. 

And you don't have to roll up the pizza... you can eat the Lahmacun as you would a regular pizza slice.

Tip: The Lahmacun can be eaten warm, or at room temperature... so it's an ideal picnic bread. I like to also freeze a few... so I can have later on during the week(s). Just reheat in the toaster oven. 

~Also, the meat mixture can last several days in the fridge, so if you want to make a fresh Lahmacun a couple of days in a row, you can... otherwise just freeze some of the meat mixture and take out and defrost when needed. 

You will need: inspired by Saveur

Flatbread Dough: can use store- bought/homemade tortillas for a quick alternative

2 cups flour, plus more

1 tsp. sugar 

2 tsps instant yeast

1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 cup warm water (110-115 deg F)

Lamb Topping: for 1 dough recipe + 6( 6/8 inch flour tortillas)... or double amount of dough recipe if using the whole amount of lamb topping... or freeze half. 

8 oz. ground lamb

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 TBS tomato paste (can use lesser amount) 

3 TBS minced flat-leaf parsley

1⁄2 tsp. hot smoked paprika(can use sweet paprika/cayenne pepper)

3⁄4 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon(can  be optional, if you don't like cinnamon)

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste 

3-4 cloves garlic, grated

2 small/medium tomatoes(1/3 cup), grated

1 small onion(1/2 cup), grated

1 jalapeno chile minced

Extra:

chopped parsley,

sliced onion, 

chopped cucumbers, tomatoes

lemon wedges(this is quite important, and shouldn't be skipped... it brightens the dish)  

salt as needed

Yoghurt Sauce: optional

1 cup yoghurt( or a mix with sour cream)

1-2 tsp za'atar, or sumac to taste

freshly grated garlic, a touch...or to taste

Serve with: 

Ayran yoghurt drink (equal amounts of yoghurt and water, seasoned with a bit of salt.) 

Directions:

Make the Meat Topping:

1. Grind lamb, if needed... 

2. In a large bowl, combine oil, tomato paste, parsley, hot smoked paprika or cayenne, cumin, sweet paprika, and cinnamon.... add  ground lamb. 

3. Grate garlic, tomatoes, onion, and chop chile. Combine everything and season with salt; set topping aside. You can do this overnight for better flavor. 

Make Dough:

1. Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a mixer bowl(or food processor, as in my case)...  and mix a few  seconds to combine.

2. Measure out 3⁄4 cup warm water( heated to 115 deg F)add it to the flour mixture.

3. Mix/knead with a dough hook until you get a smooth dough... about 6 minutes. If using a food processor, process until a ball of dough forms around the edge of the food processor bowl... 1-2 minutes. 

4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead  a few seconds more just to bring the dough together smoothly.

5. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour (or so). 

6. Divide dough into 4 portions, and roll each portion into a ball. 

7. Transfer dough balls to a floured baking sheet or counter) and cover with a damp tea towel and let it rest for  about 45 minutes(or so).  

Bake Lahmacun:

• Place a pizza stone in bottom third of oven
• Preheat oven to 475° deg F.... for about 30 minutes

1.Working with one dough ball at a time and using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 10" disk. If you don't want a "bubbly" crust you can dock the crust using a fork... I did that to a few of mine.

2. Brush off excess flour and transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper... I sort of rolled out all the dough pieces and placed some plastic wrap between each...  but you can do one at a time.   

3. Spoon about 3–4 tablespoons of meat topping onto dough and spread topping evenly to edges. I noticed if you don't want to have the edge puff up as you would on a normal pizza, you will need to spread the meat all the way to the edge... otherwise the edge will puff up a bit and be thicker( as were mine). Season with a bit of  kosher salt.

4. Transfer pizza and parchment paper to the hot baking stone.

5. Bake until dough is golden brown and topping is cooked, 6–8 minutes. 

6. Repeat with remaining dough and topping; serve warm or at room temperature.  

Note: You can use tortillas, instead of the homemade dough for a quicker version.... I found out that you really need to spread the meat all the way to the edges, otherwise the edges can burn a bit. 

~On the spur of the moment, I made a quick yoghurt zaatar sauce to drizzle on the Lahmacun... with some fresh sliced leek. But you can simply add any toppings you like.

Lancashire Hotpot....James Martin

Traditional Lancashire Hotpot... James Martin When I received the Denby James Martin Medium Covered Casserole from the wonderful folks at Denby, I instantly knew I wanted to make a traditional English peasant dish. So I chose the Lancashire Hotpot. Lancashire Hotpot is a meat and potatoes kind of dish.

Story says the dish originated in the cotton towns of Lancashire County, England. Some accounts say this dish was eaten by shepherds while they tended their sheep on the hills, others say the dish was prepared for mill workers. Nobody knows for sure where the dish originated..., but it was quite possible that it was prepared by the mill worker's wives. It was prepared early in the morning, cooked slowly thoughout the day, and provided a warm and satisfying meal. It was especially welcoming after a hard day's work.

There are other possible origins, but we know this meat stew was prepared with local ingredients. It was a peasant sort of dish as it was simple to prepare, usually with the most economical of ingredients. The dish usually contained the meat readily available to them, either mutton or lamb. Lamb kidneys were often used to bring extra flavor to the dish. Some say even oysters were used, which at that time, was food for the poor in Britain. The meat was layered with some sort of root vegetables mostly onion and potatoes, maybe carrots if you were wealthy enough. Water was added so that the dish wouldn't dry out while it cooked for hours. It provided a flavorful and tasty gravy to the finished product.

The Lancashire Hotpot was often made during the winter months when a warm tasty meal kept the chills away. Pickled red cabbage and/or glazed carrots would often accompany the dish. Whatever the origin, the Lancashire Hotpot has become a well known dish and is often served in many restaurants with all sorts of variations.

Many chefs have opted to bring it up to a different level by adding their own spin on it. Some add seasoned stock, wine, various herbs, Worcestershire sauce and some even a bit of curry.
If you feel you don't like lamb, try substituting it with beef or veal. You have to like the dish, so choose ingredients that you love. I decided to make it very similar to the "original"...

I so hoped to find some kidneys as well. I searched all over town. I asked my butcher if he had any available lamb kidneys. He answered, " Ma'am, you are living in the wrong part of the world!" Funny, you would think the Montanans would have such a thing...hmmm. Well, I had to do without the kidneys, for now anyway...One other butcher has me on a 2 month waiting list for some lamb kidneys:). I won't make a habit of making this dish with the kidneys. However, I want to try it at least once...to sort of go back in time. I want to set aside the "sophisticated" palate and enjoy a simple and unsophisticated dish.

~~~~~~~~~~Excerpts from Elizabeth Gaskell's book: ~~~~~~~~~~
North and South~ Chapter 42

"Are you a good judge of potatoes and onions? "
"I can assure you, the hot dinners the matron turns out are by no means to be despised."

"Master,there's hot-pot for dinner to-day, win yo' come?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have posted the recipe as written by James Martin on the BBC website... I included the alterations I made. Feel free to use a variety of herbs, add stock/wine, and use whatever cut of meat you can find. I hope you will enjoy it as well....

You will need: adapted from James Martin with a few alterations as noted...

Ingredients:
2lb best end/middle neck British lamb, sliced into chops( I used boneless leg of lamb)

1 TBS groundnut oil/butter

1 lamb's kidneys,cleaned,cut into bite-sized pieces (I omitted because I couldn't find any...)

3 onions, sliced ½in wedges (I used one LARGE sweet onion and 1 bag small boiler onions)

1 TBS plain flour( I used a heaping TBS)

20 oz freshly boiled water( I used about 2 cups liquid total, including 1/2 cup stock )

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 fresh bay leaf

2 thyme sprigs

2lb potatoes, cut into 2cm slices

butter, for drizzling/ brushing potatoes

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

paprika(I added a sprinkle on the potatoes for color)

dried rosemary( I added a sprinkle for extra flavor...purely optional)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 325F.

2. Trim the lamb of any excess fat and pat dry with paper towel.

3. Heat the oil and a small knob of butter in a large heavy-based frying pan until very hot. Add the lamb, two or three pieces at a time, and fry until brown, turning once. Once browned, put them in a wide 3.5-litre casserole. Brown the pieces of kidney. (I skipped the kidney part.)

4. Once the meat and kidney are in the casserole, add the onions to the pan. Fry over medium heat, adding a little more butter to the pan if necessary, for about ten minutes until browned at the edges.

5. Stir in the flour then gradually add the hot water(stock and/or wine if using) and Worcestershire sauce, stirring until the flour and liquid are smoothly blended. Season with salt and pepper and bring to simmering point. Pour over the meat in the casserole.

6. Add the bay leaf and thyme(and rosemary, if using), then arrange the potato slices on top in an overlapping pattern. Season the potatoes and dot the surface with a few dabs of butter. (Sprinkle with some paprika, if using.)

7. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and put in the oven. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes( I cooked mine for 2 hours.) Towards the end of cooking time, remove the lid and brush the potatoes with a little more butter.Then place under the grill to crisp up. Alternatively, remove the lid and increase the heat to 400F for the last 15 minutes of cooking( I moved my casserole dish to the top rack and cooked it for about 30 minutes, watching it every 10 minutes until I felt that my potatoes were nice and golden.)

8. Remove the bay leaf and thyme before serving.

Shepherd's Pie...Gordon Ramsay's Version

Shepherd's Pie...Gordon Ramsay's version. This recipe is ideal to make when you have leftover mashed potatoes from the previous day. This dish is traditionally made with ground lamb, but I have often made it with ground turkey or ground beef. It doesn't take that long to prepare and actually you can assemble it the morning of..... and bake it later for lunch or dinner. You can easily add different vegetables to the shepherd's pie. I often like to add corn, peas, mushrooms etc... I have been wanting to make Gordon Ramsay's version for some time now. I thought it would be perfect to make this recipe on a cold/rainy. So when we had some rainy/cold weather this past week, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to finally make it. I did try to stay as close to the recipe as possible:). But, I know my husband loves mushrooms so I added them as a layer. I chose to sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top of the mashed potatoes...they formed a baked cheese layer. If you don't care for the cheese layer just skip it all together. I used slightly less meat and therefore I adjusted the amounts of some of the other ingredients. The wine in the recipe definitely brings a whole deal of flavor. I am sure you can omit the wine, if you don't have any, with some more chicken stock..... The flavors of the shepherd's pie were just wonderful. I will definitely be making this again...

You will need: Somewhat adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 lbs very lean ground beef (or lamb)

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 large onion, grated

1 large carrot, grated

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1-2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

2 TBS tomato paste

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp chopped rosemary(I used dry)

1/2-3/4 cups red wine

1/2 cups chicken broth

2 tsp salt, or to taste

Other layers:

1 -1/2 cups baby bella mushrooms

3 cups mashed potatoes

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Clean and slice mushrooms.Heat a non stick skillet with about 2 tsp olive oil add sliced mushrooms.

Season with some salt and pepper. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Set aside. Grate onion, carrots and garlic. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil, stir fry beef until no longer pink.

Drain off excess grease. Add onion, garlic, and carrot and stir fry for 3-5 minutes.

Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Season with thyme and rosemary and cook for about 1 minute.

Add wine and simmer until wine has almost evaporated.

Add the broth and simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Transfer beef to a deep dish....you can use an 8x8 square pan or you can make individual servings as I did.

Layer some mushrooms on top of the beef.

Spoon mashed potato on top of beef.

Sprinkle with 1 T grated Parmesan cheese and 1 TBS of your favorite grated cheese(mozzarella,cheddar,etc...). Bake in a 375° F oven for 20 minutes or until top is brown and heated through.