@mismi,
I love lamb!
Lamb is a quite fatty meat, so needs to be dry cooked, preferably grilled. I put lamb chops, cutlets, etc., on my George Foreman griller - or under the grill in the oven. Those little lamb cutlets are a bit expensive - but just beautiful.
Some people crumb lamb cutlets and then fry them, but I think this is criminal - and warrants the death penalty! (or thereabouts!)
Lamb legs and shoulders, racks, etc. are better roasted, but dry roast - on a rack, so that the fat can drain away. You may want to put some water in the bottom of the baking dish. Helps with the gravy later!
Lamb fillets are quite lean and can be a bit dry. They may benefit from some oil during the cooking. Short cooking, hot-pan-fried, but not soaked in oil or fat. Should be pink-red in the middle. May need a sauce. Red wine sauce is good.
Lamb goes well with rosemary - and I have an oversexed rosemary bush, so put the lamb leg on a rack on a bed of rosemary and roast slowly for a couple of hours (say 3-4). If I'm really energetic, I stab the leg in several places and stuff with little bits of garlic, rosemary and/or anchovies (Jamie Oliver tip). You may want to cover with foil for the first two hours or so.
The traditional accompaniment for lamb is mint sauce (English style) - but I think that's a bit boring, so I make a sort of Asian-ised mint sauce, using Vietnamese mint, chilli, and fish sauce, with vinegar and a little bit of sugar. It's a whole different taste sensation.
I serve this with a whole tray of baked vegetables - more than you'd imagine a group of people could possibly eat! They do.
And don't forget the gravy. Drain the fat off the remains in the pan (or drain the droppings into a jug, and place in freezer until fat solidifies, remove the fat) and use the remains, with just a touch of flour, and some water and/or slosh in some red wine!. Stirred and boiled until it thickens. Pinch of salt perhaps, but taste first. Do this while the lamb is resting after cooking.
Can you tell I love lamb?
