What kind of lamb? boneless leg Butterflied leg? Rack? shanks?
I like leg boneless or other wise cooked medium rare with lots of garlic....same for rack of chops....but Iw ant the shanks long and slow cooked with onions leek and rosemary.
Linda C

Yup, we lamb lovers need to know the cut?

If it is a rack of lamb, then make up a paste of Dijon, garlic, S&P, maybe some finely chopped rosemary and spread it on the meat. Top with Panko and roast to rare/med.

If it is the leg, she can marinate in a mix of lemon juice, EVOO, garlic, rosemary, thyme for 2 to 24 hours and then roast to medium.

If chops, season with S&P, and grill.

Shanks are a whole differant ballgame. The are best slow braised with lots of red wine, garlic, etc.

As for sides, orzo or rice pilaf, some green beans or asparagus with a sprinkle of lemon.

And don't forget the Cabernet!

Penzeys Lamb seasoning........

Here are my favs... by cut:

Spice Rubbed Lamb Chops
From Food Network Kitchens

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: No Rating

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 loin lamb chops

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Brush each lamb chop lightly with the olive oil and season with the spice mixture. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chops in the skillet, without crowding until brown and crisp on both sides, about 3 or 4 minutes for both sides. Finish chops in the oven for 1 minute for medium rare, or to desired doneness.
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Roast Rack of Lamb
Source: The Complete Meat Cookbook
Serves 4
Rack of lamb is best eaten rare to medium. Remember that it should rest a bit before carving; this means there will be some carryover cooking after the rack is removed from the oven: the internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees F. Be sure to remove the roast from the oven at 5 degrees F or so lower than the required doneness to compensate. For best results, always use an instant-read thermometer.

Other necessary recipes:
Herb and Bread Crumb Crust for Lamb

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

For Meat:
One 7 or 8 bone rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched (1 to 1 1/4 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh Herb Crust for Lamb (optional; see recipe)
For Pan Sauce: (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup lamb, beef, or chicken stock
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

RECIPE METHOD

FOR MEAT: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Place a heavy 10-inch ovenproof skillet over high heat and film the bottom with the oil. Put the rack in the skillet fat side down and sear for 1 to 2 minutes. Then using tongs, hold the rack with the bones vertical and sear the top meat for 1 to 2 minutes. Finally, sear the bone side for 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the lamb rest for a few minutes, uncovered. (If you don't have an ovenproof skillet, sear the rack in a pan and then transfer it to a small roasting pan or pie plate.) Roast the rack as is or apply a coating now. Cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring.

Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet (or roasting pan). Roast the lamb in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. Take a reading in the center of the meat after 12 to 15 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer to your taste. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs and serving 3 to 4 chops per person.

TO MAKE PAN SAUCE, if desired: Pour off any fat from the skillet or roasting pan, leaving any juices behind. Place the pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for 15 seconds, pour in the wine, raise the heat to high, and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil the wine to reduce it by half. Add the stock and thyme and boil the sauce until it just begins to turn syrupy. Whisk in the mustard until the sauce is smooth. If you'd like a richer sauce with a velvety texture, whisk in the optional butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the lamb.

TESTING FOR DONENESS: Use an instant-read thermometer to determine doneness.
Blood-rare: 115 to 125 degrees F
Rare: 125 to 130 degrees F
Medium-rare: 130 to 140 degrees F
Medium: 140 to 150 degrees F

Recipes from The Complete Meat Cookbook. Copyright 1998 by Bruce Aidells and Dennis Kelly.
Herb and Bread Crumb Crust for Lamb
Source: The Complete Meat Cookbook
Enough for an 8-bone rack of lamb

Other necessary recipes:
Roast Rack of Lamb

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, savory, thyme, or oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

RECIPE METHOD

Combine all the ingredients except the oil and mustard in a small bowl or blend in a food processor. Moisten the mixture by tossing in the olive oil. Spread the herbed crumbs in a shallow pan or on a deep platter. Once the rack is seared as directed, brush it all over with the mustard. Roll it in the bread crumb mixture so that it is well coated. Roast and serve as described in recipe for Roast Rack of Lamb. To make the crumb coating crispier, place the rack under a broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.

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Greek Roasted Leg of Lamb (Gyros)
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 10 servings
User Rating:

1 head garlic, cloves peeled
Kosher salt
2 bunches fresh oregano, leaves finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for searing
Freshly ground black pepper
1 butterflied leg of lamb, about 4 pounds
10 large Pita bread
1 head butter lettuce
5 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped
Tzatziki, recipe follows
Finely chop up 1/2 of the garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Mash the garlic and salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the oregano and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-oregano paste in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and 1 cup of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Slice the remaining garlic into thin slivers.
Put the lamb on a large platter, and trim any excess fat. Cut the lamb in 1/2 lengthwise so you have 2 large pieces. Make slits all over the meat with a sharp knife, and push the garlic slivers inside. Rub 1/2 of the garlic-oregano paste all over the lamb and season the meat with salt and pepper. Roll up each piece of lamb lengthwise and tie with butcherÂs twine to hold the roasts together. Put the lamb on a large platter and slather with the remaining garlic-oregano paste. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Wipe off the excess paste from the lamb so it wonÂt burn in the oven. Place a large roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high flame and coat with a fair amount of olive oil. Put the lamb roasts in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on all sides. Transfer the pan (and lamb) to the oven and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it should be pink in the center and the internal temperature reads 130 degrees F. Allow the lamb to stand 10 minutes to let the juices settle before and slicing.
Cut off the butcherÂs twine and thinly slice the lamb. Place the meat in the center of the pita breads. Top with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and tzatziki.
Tzatziki (Yogurt And Cucumber Sauce):
3 cups plain yogurt
1 lemon, juiced
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.
Yield: 4 cups

Episode#: FO1D09
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

I have posted this a few times in the past; it's perfect for no-fuss really good food. And it's convenient for a casual dinner because you do all the work seven hours before serving and you don't do anything at all to the dish for seven hours--so you have the freedom to do other stuff when the guests arrive.

I love lamb nice and pink, medium rare-ish, but that ain't the way a lot of the world approaches lamb. Many cultures want it well done and juicy; before you throw up your hands and say 'no way', consider this recipe.

There is a French bistro dish called "Gigot de sept heures"--yes, that's "Seven hour leg of lamb". I first ran across this in Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles Cookbook". The first time I fixed it there were two teenagers in my house who claimed they didn't like lamb. Suffice it to say there were no leftovers. Bourdain makes the comment that when it's done, you should be able to cut it with a spoon.
Like all common recipes, there are variations: but it's basically a braise in a heavy casserole dish. I used a deep cast iron Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, and it worked great. Season the lamb with slivers of garlic, sear it, add liquid and vegetables, cover the pot, put it in a slow oven and DON'T PEEK for seven hours. Omigod, is it good--and easy!!
This is a perfect dish for a day when you have a lot of laundry or housework to do. You gotta be in the house anyway, so may as well have a no-stress supper cooking while you're doing other work. You put it in the oven after brunch, then do whatever you need to do, and after seven hours you have some juicy and scrumptious lamb. A half hour before serving, cook up some noodles or something to catch the juices.
Here's Bourdain's version. The only liberties I take with it is to brown the meat prior to putting in the other goodies, and since I have a very tight fitting casserole I don't bother with the flour seal. You can also use a little more wine if you want. The garlic cooks down so its not overpowering; do use at least the amount it calls for.

GIGOT DE SEPT HEURES
1 leg of lamb, about 6#
4 garlic cloves, sliced, plus 20 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
2 small onions, thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled
1 bouquet garni
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup flour, 1 cup water
Preheat oven to 300 F. Make many small incisions in lamb, place slivers of garlic in each incision. Rub lamb well with olive oil, season with salt & pepper. (At this point I would brown the lamb on all sidesbut thats not necessary.) Place it in Dutch oven and add onions, carrots, bouquet garni, garlic, wine. Put lid on Dutch oven. Combine flour and water, make a 'caulk' and use it to seal the lid to the dutch oven. Place it in the 300 degree oven and cook for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours. NO PEEKING--leave it alone.
Remove the Dutch oven and break the seal. You don't have to eat the cooked flour paste.
That's it. About a half hour to an hour of prep, then you leave it the heck alone for 7 hours. It's nearly foolproof. Serve it with whatever else you want, and a medium bodied red wine goes quite well with this (say, a nice Zinfandel) but a dry white (such as the remainder of the bottle you opened to get the cup of wine in the recipe) is fine as well if that's your preference. Bon appetit!

Arley, that does sound wonderful. Copied and pasted.

Arley, I have a leg of lamb (with a small bone left in) arriving from Houston, for a gang of friends, arriving on the 28th. I just think this is the recipe I may use. Thank you!

I want to visit with these VERY special people and I don't want to fuss much over the main course.

I've made it a half dozen times, and every time I make it everybody scarfs it up. What's nice is its 'unfussiness'. Trivia: another name for this recipe is 'gigot a la cuillere', or 'spoon lamb'--alluding to the fact that when it's done, the meat is tender enough to cut with a spoon. If you google that term, you'll find other variants of the same basic recipe.

I'm not a lamb lover, at all.....but my SIL made that recipe for Easter a few years back and it was devoured by all.... and I mean devoured. The comments even made me wish I liked lamb!

Forgot to mention: if there's a lot of fatty connective tissue covering the leg of lamb, you'll want to trim off the excess before cooking. Whatever 'gaminess' is in lamb is concentrated in the fat & connective tissue.

LOL What time is dinner, Karen?

Sherry, what kind of lamb recipes. Ground, roasts, etc.?

Lamb chops probably. She is not really a cook. I forwarded this thread to her. Thanks for the recipes and instructions everybody.