Grilled Lamb Loin Chops

 So last night I wanted to make something a little special for us, but I didn't have a huge amount of time. I opted for lamb because I found some beautiful loin chops at the store and I almost never make it at home. If you're short on time as I was, make the marinade first thing and get the lamb into it, then work on the sides in the interim.

Recipe:
for the lamb:
4 boneless lamb loin chops (you can also use bone in, I just went boneless because that's what the butcher had). Trim the excess fat (or ask the butcher to do it before you buy). Also, make sure they're at least 1 inch thick.
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tbs sea salt or kosher salt
2 tbs rosemary leaves
1 tbs thyme leaves
the juice of one lemon
Combine the garlic, herbs, salt and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse while slowly drizzling in the oil. It should make a yummy green paste. Rub that on the lamb loin chops and marinate it in the fridge (1-4 hours, preferably closer to 4 but I was in a hurry so I only marinated them for 90 minutes). Heat your grill to high (I got mine up to about 500 degrees).  Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before grilling, and wipe off the excess marinade. I like to give a quick dusting of salt and pepper before they hit the grill. Grill them for 5 minutes on one side, then carefully flip them and grill for another 5 minutes or until the lamb has an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. This should give you medium-rare, but grills vary so keep an eye on them. Allow them to rest for 6-8 minutes, wrapped in foil to keep them warm.

for the potatoes:
4 medium russet potatoes
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tbs olive oil
Scrub the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half into wedges. Toss in the oil and spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper (I also used a little garlic salt at the finish). Cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. If your wedges are on the larger side, you may need 35 minutes.

The spinach is pretty self explanatory. I sauteed it in a little butter until it wilted down, gave it a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt. Next time I'll try to do something fancier with it!

A note regarding portions:

We had lots of leftover potatoes, and we only at 3 of the loin chops between the two of us. If you're making this recipe for two, prepare for some delicious leftovers!

Venison Burgers!

 So last night my beloved came home hungry, and I didn't have time to go shopping. Fortunately, thanks to his hunting acumen, we have venison in the freezer! It's always best to use meat before you freeze it, but when you have that much meat, well, you pretty much have to freeze it unless you want to host a dinner for 30 people. I put it to thaw in the fridge before I left for work and it was ready to go when I got home.

Recipe:

1 lb. ground venison (we had ours done at a processing place)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup minced white onion
1 egg yolk

Mix the above ingredients very gently with your hands. Try not to compress the meat very much. Form into two equal patties and put in the fridge.


For the caramelized onions and mushrooms:

Take one tbs. butter and melt it in a skillet until it starts to bubble slightly. Add 1/2 a white onion (thinly sliced) and saute on low-medium heat for about ten minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste and lower the heat a little more, cooking about 20-30 minutes or until onions take on a nice brown color and an almost jammy consistency. Saute 1 cup mushrooms in 1/2 tbs. of olive oil (make sure you salt the mushrooms to your taste) until cooked down and no longer releasing liquid. Combine with the onions.

Grill patties for 6 minutes per side on medium-high heat (I use a gas grill, temp set at 500 degrees). Do not press down on the burgers or flip them more than once. Let rest for three minutes. Serve on your bread of choice (I used toasted sourdough but a ciabatta roll, toasted brioche or potato bread would be awesome, too).