Dog food? Seriously the smell used to make me nauseous, but I had a dog with food sensitivities (what is it about the people/animals around me?)and I had to cook ground lamb to add to his food.
The only other time I had it was when dining at a friend's house he made a ground lamb meatballs (kufta?) in the style that they had enjoyed in Turkey. I found it tolerable, but that was all.
Funny enough, rack of lamb, leg of lamb and lamb chops are all find with me, but not ground lamb.

The recipe I posted on the San's Pastitsio thread will use a pound of it. (Having taken the time to type it out I was inspired to make it last weekend; it really is awesome.)

I like lamburgers stuffed with smoked mozzarella.

And Alton Brown's Gyros are a favorite around my house (I use different tzatziki) and will use up two pounds:

Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005
1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.

Preheat the grill to high.

Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

I was gonna say Gyros too.

Here's the recipe I like to use it in. We also make dog food for Roxie, she loves it.

Gyro Meat

1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried ground marjoram
1/2 tsp dried ground rosmary
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine everything and refrigerate for a couple of hours for flavors to blend.
Blend in a food processor ( in 2 batches if necessary) for about a minute. This will smooth out the meat and make it a finer grain, like commercial gyro meat.

Pack the meat firmly into a loaf pan. I use a meatloaf pan that has an insert, meat is packed into the insert and as it cooks, the fats collect in the pan underneath for disposal.

Bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes.

Nancy

I like lean ground lamb more than ground beef. Here are a couple of recipes I make with it, including Linda in TN's recipe for stubbe kibbeh.

STUFFED KIBBEH

For the shells:
8 ounces bulgur (cracked wheat)
1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, coarsely chopped
salt & pepper

For the stuffing:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Tbs. Pine nuts
1 pound ground lamb
salt and pepper
(sprinkle of ground cinnamon, optional)

Oil for deep frying

To make the shells, soak the cracked wheat for about 20 minutes in hot water to cover by at least one inch; then drain and squeeze dry. Mix the meat, onion, salt and pepper for the shells until creamy. (An electric mixer can be used.) Then add the cracked wheat in batches and continue until the mixture is soft enough to work like a dough. Knead well by hand.

For the stuffing, fry the onion in oil until soft; then add the pine nuts and fry until golden. Add the meat, salt, pepper and cinnamon if used and stir until the meat changes color.

Wet your hands. Take a small egg-sized portion of the shell mixture and roll it into a ball. Make a hole in the center with your finger and shape into a thin-walled pot with a pointed bottom by turning and pressing it into your palm. Place some stuffing in the hole and pinch the top of the pot together to completely seal it inside. Shape the top into a point. Repeat with the rest of the mixtures, wetting your hands frequently.

Heat the oil. Deep-fry 4 or 5 kibbeh at a time until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Makes 15 to 20 depending on what size you make the balls.

I follow the recipe but instead of deep frying, I like to cook them outdoors on the grill, turning frequently.

MAKE-AHEAD LAMB AND RICE

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 lb. lean ground lamb
3 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into 1/4 dice to make about 1 1/2 cups (reserve tomato juices)
1/4 cup sliced pitted black olives
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tbs. fresh chopped mint
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. pine nuts
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup defatted chicken broth or tomato juice (optional)
1/2 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese

Cook rice according to package directions, adding bouillon cube to water; set aside.

In a nonstick skillet, saute lamb over medium heat until browned through, breaking up while cooking; set aside.

Place tomatoes (and their juices), olives, parsley, mint, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, pine nuts and zucchini. Saute, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

Add rice, lamb and zucchini mixture to the bowl; fold all ingredients together well. (If mixture seems dry, add chicken broth or tomato juice to moisten.) At this point mixture can be covered and refrigerated up to three days.

To serve hot, place in large shallow casserole dish, sprinkle with feta cheese and bake, loosely covered at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, just long enough to heat through. Or heat on high power of microwave for about 4 minutes and sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Can also be served at room temperature.

I recommend these, among others:

Baked Kibbee - Middle Eastern meatloaf
Papoutsakias - Stuffed eggplant
Kafta - Ground lamb kebabs
Moussaka - Casserole of eggplant and lamb (Greek version)

I like having ground lamb, rather than subbing beef, to get a more authentic version. Sorry, no recipes, except for papoutsakias, but you can easily find recipes by searching.

PAPOUTSAKIAS

Find a recipe for Kafta(kofta,Kefta) that uses equal parts of lamb and ground beef. Excellent cooked over charcoal.

Not to be a smart @ss... but isn't "lamb" usually butchered in the spring? I would think by now it is well on its way to being mutton. But I digress.....

These are absolutely delish!

Greek Meatballs

1 egg, beaten
½ cup soft breadcrumbs
2 tbsp raisins, snipped
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 lb ground lamb
EVO

In a large bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, salt and cinnamon. Add lamb, mix well. Moisten hands with water and shape lamb mixture into 32 meatballs.

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10 pan with oil. Place meatballs ½ inch apart on pan. Brush lightly with EVO.

Bake about 20 minutes or until cooked through (160F). Drizzle with additional EVO if desired and serve immediately.

Yogurt Feta Sauce
4 oz. Crumbed feta cheese
¾ c. plain yogurt
2 T. milk
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 c. each chopped seeded cucumber
1 t. fresh dill (optional)

Place cheese, yogurt, milk and garlic for sauce into food processor using steel blade and process until smooth. Do not add the cukes at this point. They are not to be processed.

The lamb in question has been in the freezer since spring..
But in these modern times with heated barns and ways of transporting meat by refrigerated container, and lambs differ in their breeding cycles by the breed of animal....and sheep continue in estrus for some time until they are bred....so considering lamb from New Zealand, lamb is not seasonal any more.

Thanks for the recipes....co-incidentally I have come into an abundance of eggplant and was going to ask for eggplant ideas....but seems moussaka and a couple of others fill both needs at once!
Linda C

Lamb burgers - mix about a 1 1/2 lbs of ground lamb with bulgar wheat, chopped fresh mint or dried, minced onion, salt and pepper and a tablespoon or so of yogurt. Or take the easy way out and use a box of Far East Tabuleh mix and mix into the meat. -maria

I forgot about this one:

CURRIED LAMBBURGERS

Combine:
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. curry powder
2 Tbs. minced onion
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 slices fresh bread, crumbled
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Add 1 pound lean ground lamb and mix thoroughly. Shape into 6 thin oval shaped patties and grill until done but not dry. Serve in pita bread pockets topped with chopped tomatoes and feta cheese. Note: Fresh chopped cilantro may be substituted for the parsley for a different flavor. Also good topped with cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Lamb is not considered mutton until it is over one year old.

Well....6 month old "lamb" it too "muttoney" for my tastes.
Linda C

Tuna always loved lambburgers! Not as good as lamb chops but edible. As you might remember Tuna did not like salt so the burgers were just plain ground lamb made into a patty and fried. I often took mine with a slice of cheese on top. Chewy bread seemed to be the best bun.

The good ol' days.

: )
lyra

I love ground lamb! I remember from when I lived down under (but haven't had in decades) burgers made from lamb and ground beef mixed)

I make a simple dish by frying ground lamb in a frying pan with chopped onions, and mixing with cooked rice and pine nuts. sometimes a little saffron. yum!

but, DH is like compumom, so I don't make it very often, in respect for minimizing his nausea. (Popcorn has the same affect on him, LOL!)

Linda, this is my favourite recipe for Moussaka. It originally called for ground lamb, but I almost always substitute beef and sometimes pork. As much as I love other cuts of lamb, I've never really cared for ground lamb.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Moussaka
========

Source unknown
edited

2 eggplants cut into 1/4 inch round slices.
3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick long slices
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.
vegetable oil. (1 to 2 inches deep)

For the beef tomato sauce:
2 pounds lean ground beef/veal/pork or lamb.
1 large onion, medium diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large can tomatoes, chopped

For the Bechamel:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
garlic clove cracked (not minced)
1/4teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To Finish:
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
. Slice eggplant and salt. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe dry.

Season flour with salt and pepper.
dip eggplant into flour and fry in hot oil turning when golden. Dry on
paper towels.

Fry potato slices until lightly golden. Remove the potatoes to a paper
towel.

For the ground beef Tomato Sauce mixture:

Saute the ground beef for 2 minutes, until it
begins to turn brown. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 more
minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat from the
pan. Season the mixture with allspice, oregano, and cinnamon and cook
for 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally
until the mixture is a thick tomato sauce consistency, about 30
minutes. Check for seasoning. Remove from the heat and cool.

For the Bechamel:

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook the
roux over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, or until it becomes a very
pale tan color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the garlic clove, the
nutmeg and the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat
for 15 minutes. The mixture should be fairly thick. Remove the garlic clove. In a separate bowl,
whisk the eggs together. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk
it into the beaten eggs. This will temper the eggs. Whisk the egg/milk
mixture back into the milk mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir.
Over very low heat, cook this mixture for 3 more minutes. Be careful
not to let the mixture simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from
the heat and cool.

To finish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the bottom of a
baking dish with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the eggplant
over the breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the potatoes over the eggplant.
Place 1/2 of the beef tomato sauce mixture over the potatoes. Add
another layer of eggplant and another layer of potatoes. Top with the
remaining lamb mixture. Place one more layer of eggplant and potatoes
over the beef mixture. Top with bechamel. Sprinkle with
the Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven
and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from
the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I can vouch for Ann's Moussaka. It is fantastic and the onyl recipe I will ever use.

Hmmmm I feel a craving coming on.

Alexa

Ground lamb is what you use for a classic shepherd's pie. If you use ground beef it's a cottage pie.
We love lamb burgers made by mixing some garlic with the ground lamb, forming patties and grilling or pan cooking them, then serve on toasted Turkish bread with hoummus, feta cheese, sliced tomatoes and spinach leaves. Mmmm!

You could substitute ground lamb for the beef in your stuffed pepper recipe. or use half lamb and half beef to suit your taste.

I use it in stuffed grape leaves, half and half with beef and lots of mint and a hint of cinnamon.

We had ground lamb in that dish at the Persian restaurant I mentioned on the WFD thread the other day.
It was mixed half and half with ground veal......both ground very finely, cooked on skewers...and called Kubideh.
They were delicious. Here's a simple recipe.

They were served off the skewers.

SharonCb