'Rita Had A Little Lamb

And she liked it!

Until today, the only lamb I've had has been that pressed meat combination of seasoned lamb and beef that's used on gyro sandwiches. I really like it, but I wasn't sure if I'd like lamb "straight up". I've wanted to try it for a while, but it's expensive and I was hesitant to buy it, not knowing if I'd like it.

My curiosity got the best of me a couple of days ago when I found a package of two small lamb chops marked down as a manager's special at the local meat counter. Two chops is not enough for a meal for Spouse Guy and me, so we decided to grill them today (on the snowy back deck), along with some hamburgers that were already on the menu.

I threw together a red wine marinade and let them marinate for a couple of hours, then Spouse Guy grilled them for about 5 minutes on each side. I didn't use a recipe, but here are the approximations:

1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard
salt and pepper added just before grilling

The results? We were both surprised that the meat was very tender and milder in flavor than the gyro meat. We'd definitely eat lamb again, but probably only for special occasions because of the price.

Oh yeah, the hamburgers were really good, too!