Valentine’s Dinner Special: Frenched Lamb Rib Chops served with Panko Crusted Potato and Ogonori Heart Cakes and Roasted Rosemary Carrots

This meal cost $50 including a nice bottle of wine, for 2 people.  That beats going out with the big crowds and spending $150+ I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day, I think it’s much more meaningful to receive flowers and surprises when your not expecting them…

Prep: 45 min

Cook: 45 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 5 Lamb rib chops, frenched (I had 2, Evan had 3, you choose how many you want).
• 5 New potatoes, quartered
• 6 Carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 C panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 box of Ogonori, chopped from Austin Sea Veggies
• 1/4 C white cheddar cheese, or blend
• 2 TBS Butter
• 1/4 C Skim milk
• Sea Salt and fresh pepper
• Demi-Glace (store bought or home-made)
• Olive oil
• 1 TBS butter

Instructions:

1. Season rib chops with salt and pepper, set in fridge.
2. Boil Potatoes until tender and mash with butter, milk, cheese, pepper to taste, then stir in green onion and ogonori until mixed well.  Ad salt to taste at very end.  Transfer to a bowl and place in freezer for 5-10 min.
3. Slice up carrots, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and rosemary, bake for 30 -40 min on 350.
4. Take slightly cooled mashed potatoes out of freezer and pour 3/4 C of panko on to a plate.  Shape half of mixture into a heart (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and place on plate of panko gently covering the cake on both sides, repeat with remaining mashed potato, may have a bit remaining.
5. Bring a large skillet with a couple TBS of olive oil to medium high heat, place cakes in skillet and cook for 3 min on each side.  Transfer to oven to keep warm (Be careful with this transfer, use two spatulas), I like to do this on my bake friendly Fiesta Ware so I don’t have to worry about the heat breaking in transfer…
6. When carrots are about 10 min from being done, get your demi-glace reducing, and heat large skillet back up to medium high, with 1 TBS butter.  Cook rib chops for 4-5 min on each side, I like them to be medium rare, don’t over cook.
7. Plate your meal however you’d like and drizzle the demi-glace all over 🙂

The Ogonori in this dish gives the potato cakes a nice sea salt taste and has a nice texture.  You could even put a sprig of it on top of the heart, it almost looks like little veins…

Demi-Glace Sauce

Slow Cooked Rosemary and Mushroom Lamb Shanks in a Mustard Wine Sauce with Sweet Potato Puree and Asparagus

You will be amazed you can make something so awesome and delectable with out slaving over the stove all day.  This is a great one for dinner guests!  Truly a restaurant quality dish for a FRACTION of the price 🙂

Prep: 15-20 min

Cook: 7 hours

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3lbs of lamb shank (about 2 full shanks), bone in (have butcher cut into inch thick slices, you cannot do this at home easily).
• 1 large carrot, sliced 1 cm thickness slices
• 15-20 onions, small.  Peel and leave whole.
• 1 cup red wine (I like to use a Merlot that has been open for a few days, since I’ll probably not drink it any longer).
• 3 heaping TBS of grainy mustard, I like Maille, Old Style Grain Mustard.
• 2 TBS quality balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock (free range, low sodium) Make sure it doesn’t contain MSG (monosodium Glutamate).
• 1/4 Cup Beef Stock (same as chicken).
• 1 heaping TBS of fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 container (16 oz) of sliced washed mushrooms
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the lamb shanks in the hot oil, turning frequently, until browned on all sides. Place the browned lamb shanks in a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the peeled onions or onion wedges to the slow cooker.
2. Meanwhile, combine the wine with mustard, vinegar, stocks, salt, pepper, rosemary, parsley, and garlic; set aside.
3. To the hot skillet, add mushrooms and carrots. Cook the mushrooms and carrots for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon the vegetables over the lamb shanks. Pour the wine mixture into the skillet, scraping up the browned bits with a spatula. Bring to a simmer; pour over the lamb shanks in the slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. (for the 5th hour I turned my pot to high an then back to low for the 7th hour). This dish can cook all day (10-12 hours) on low and be fine.

Sweet Potato Puree

• 4 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed (to cook faster), boil and mash VERY well, can be blended/pureed as well.
• 4 TBS butter or Smart Balance, mix into potatoes.
• 1/4 Cup sour cream, mix into potatoes.
• Salt and Pepper to taste, I like to add cayenne pepper, mix into potatoes.

Serve dish with asparagus and yeast rolls!

We paired this dish with a Cupcake Merlot.

Merlot