Crispy Aromatic Lamb Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place lamb shank pieces, the onion, tomato and unpeeled garlic in a roasting pan and bake, turning once, for 45 minutes. Transfer meat, bones and vegetables to a 4-quart pot. Leave as much fat as possible in the pan and discard. Add parsley, bay leaves, 1 sprig rosemary and wine to pot. Add enough water, 2 cups or more, just to cover ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low and simmer, about 3 hours, until liquid is reduced to less than 2 cups.
• Remove meat and bones. Discard bones and save meat for another use, such as pasta sauce. Strain vegetables and liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Skim off as much fat as possible. Bring liquid to a simmer and cook until reduced to a scant cup, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add half the potatoes and sauté until lightly browned. Remove and repeat with remaining potatoes. Remove. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet. Add sun-dried tomatoes, remaining garlic and 1 sprig rosemary and sauté briefly on low. Return potatoes to skillet, cover and cook 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Season chops with salt. Heat remaining oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Cook chops on high about 3 minutes a side for medium-rare. Reheat sauce. Divide potatoes among four warm dinner plates. Place two chops on each. Spoon sauce over chops, garnish with remaining rosemary and serve.

Steps:

• In a bowl combine egg white, wine, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add lamb and set aside to marinate 1 hour.
• Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Swirl half the oil into wok and carefully add lamb, spreading it in a single layer. Let sear a moment, then stir-fry briskly just until lamb is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. (If your wok is not large enough to hold all the lamb, do this in 2 batches, using extra oil.)
• Swirl remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil into empty wok, add cumin seeds and chiles and stir-fry a few seconds until cumin seeds start to pop. Press chiles against sides of wok to char their skins.
• Add scallions and stir-fry 1 minute. Then return lamb to wok and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more until lamb is cooked through. Turn off heat, sprinkle with salt and drops of sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the lamb in a casserole dish with a lid. Add remaining ingredients plus enough water to just cover. Cook with the lid on for 3 hrs until the meat is tender and the bones pull out easily. Allow to cool still covered in the cooking liquid with the lid on. You can do this 1-2 days in advance and let the lamb cool completely in the fridge. This will make the next step easier.
• When cold, lift the lamb out of the liquid and transfer to a baking tray. Skim fat from the sauce. Reserve half the sauce for the noodles (in 'Try' section, below) and bubble the rest, still in the pan, until thick and syrupy. Pour into a small serving bowl. Heat grill to medium and grill lamb until crisp and hot through, but not too dark.
• Shred the lamb, discarding most of the fat and all the bones, but keep the nice, crisp skin. You can cut the skin off first and leave it in a hot oven while you shred the rest of the meat. To serve, take everything to the table and eat the lamb rolled up in the lettuce leaves with the cucumber, spring onions and sauce, plus the noodles on the side.