NFL Week 1 celebration

It's Ram-tastic!

Before I jump into this recipe I have to give a shout-out to Kenneth Arthur aka SeaSide Joe. Some of you who are subscribed are also from SeaSide Joe’s community, but some of you aren’t so: if you are interested in great writing, or in building a great community around your writing, and particularly if you are an NFL fan and essentially if you are a Seattle Seahawk’s fan, you should check out SeaSide Joe on Substack. This post in particular sets out Ken’s journey as an author and is very inspiring!

I have no aspirations to create the ‘world’s best food blog’—my actual intention when I started Doug’s Fresh was to put together some ideas for a unique food show, but what I have discovered for myself is that I just like to write on a number of different topics and you will see them all addressed from time to time. What will be cool for me is if I get enough people interested that we can have a conversation about any/all of these topics, with no ads to get in the way.

The specific inspiration for this post is the first game to be played in the 2023 season for the Seattle Seahawks vs. the LA Rams, which got me thinking about a favorite recipe for boneless leg of lamb that I had not made in YEARS (at least 25).

The recipe I wanted to make is from the Silver Palate Cookbook which I was somewhat surprised to see is still available for sale for $37.95 on amazon.ca. My copy was purchased circa 1983 for $11.95! The recipe for Roast Lamb with Peppercorn Crust was used to promote the cookbook as is available online if you search for it. But as it turns out this post will not be about making it.

It is a delicious lamb recipe. A boneless leg of lamb is marinated overnight in a combination of red wine, raspberry vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, mint leaves, rosemary, and crushed peppercorns. Prior to cooking the roast is tied, and a Dijon mustard plaster is applied to make the crushed peppercorn crust while the reserved marinade is used to add moisture and flavor to the roast as it cooks. The combination of flavors is unbeatable.

However… on Friday when I went to the supermarket to buy the boneless leg of lamb and some of the other ingredients the only leg of lamb on offer was bone-in and frozen solid as a brick.

But like Geno Smith surveying the field and seeing his primary receiver unavailable I moved on to consider another option: fresh ground lamb! Which for the present purpose seemed somehow even more appropriate.

So what this article is REALLY about is how to recreate a flavor profile you want in another dish. And beating the Rams.

Ingredients

2 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons each of raspberry vinegar, soy sauce
2 tablespoons mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon mixed peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon of salt
breadcrumbs

1 pound fresh ground lamb

Dijon mustard
Crushed peppercorns

Combine the peppercorns, garlic, mint leaves and rosemary into a food chopper/processor and pulse into a paste, add the vinegar soy sauce, and combine.

Add the ground lamb into a bowl with the garlic mixture and add the salt. If the result is too “loose” to easily form meat patties, add some breadcrumbs.

Form 4 patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up and allow the flavors to combine. Longer is better!

When ready to cook, get a cast iron pan (or other frying pan that can go in the oven) up to medium-high heat while your oven is turned on to 350 degrees. Add some oil to the pan (just enough so the patties won’t stick) and cook for 2-4 minutes (long enough to brown). Flip the burgers, brush on some Dijon mustard, and sprinkle with crushed peppercorns. After another 2-4 minutes, remove the pan from the stove and place in the oven. Check the temperature after about 10 minutes—the patties should be at 160 degrees before you remove them from the oven.

Serve as a burger with some feta, tomato, and lettuce, or plate with a side salad featuring a raspberry vinegaret, with a robust red wine.

Cheers!