ONE MORE BITE

With the rough weather behind us, we can slowly catch a glimpse of spring. Spring greens, roasted asparagus, fresh herbs and spring lamb find their way to our tables. As the spring holidays approach, lamb becomes the centerpiece, with ethnic and biblical significance in both Easter and Passover.

Outside of the holidays, lamb has gained increasing popularity. Lamb shanks, rack of lamb and lamb burgers are appearing on restaurant menus throughout Baltimore, and for good reason: FLAVOR. How many times have you gone to a cocktail reception and find yourself gravitating toward the baby lamb chops? How heavenly are tender, roasted lamb chops with fresh rosemary and garlic? Rosemary, thyme, lemon and garlic marry so well with lamb, making this meat such a delicious and versatile entrée. Whether you’re looking for rack of lamb for a formal dinner party or leg of lamb for Easter, our Butcher Shop has the best selection, and our butchers can custom cut what you need.

Butterflied leg of lamb is so simple to prepare, and it so easy to cook on the grill -- try this recipe for Grilled Boneless Leg of Lamb with Lemon Herb Sauce. Lamb cubes are perfect for stews, kabobs and casseroles. Try our Lamb Tikka Masala recipe using new Seeds of Change simmer sauces. Exotic and satisfying, this recipe is great for adding in veggies such as butternut squash, potatoes and cauliflower to make a one-pot meal.

Our freshly ground lamb patties are perfect for making lamb burgers, meatballs and kofte. Try blending the patties with crumbled feta, fresh oregano and mint for an amazing burger. Top it with tzatziki sauce and serve it on grilled pita. Or, form the patties into mini meatballs, or into kofte kabobs, basted with Stonewall Kitchen Pomegranate Grille Sauce or Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce. Our Easy Lamb Ragout recipe is a great do-ahead recipe that tastes even better a few days later.

Spring is finally here. Though it may not feel like it yet, you can warm up to the flavors of spring with the fragrance of fresh herbs paired with the wonderfully savory flavor of lamb. Tune into WBAL-TV11 Saturday, March 22 at 9:50 a.m. to watch our chef, Stan Levy, prepare his recipe for lamb meatballs and leg of lamb.