Bird’s eye view of Lava Lake

photo by Glenn Oakley

Brunch is one of my favorite meals. There is something about the time of the day when you prepare and consume brunch that is relaxed. In college a group of girlfriends and I would get together every Sunday to make brunch and enjoy the pace of the day. Our menus were created from our left over farmer’s market goods and were prepared with many helping hands. That kind of random mix of ingredients lead to wonderful creations like frittatas, savory waffles and more.

I was preparing brunch recently and thinking of the fun Sunday brunches with college friends. I channeled those creative menu ideas and gathered simple goods that I had in my kitchen. Luckily, I always have my freezer stocked with Lava Lake Lamb sausage and my kitchen is never without onions and garlic. I compiled sweet potato, garlic, onion, rosemary and Rosemary Garlic Lamb sausage, a combination destined to be a turned into a hash.

My original thought was to cook the sausage up and then slice it to incorporate with the sweet potato, but I have been looking for new ways to use sausage rather then grilling or cooking it in a cast iron. I decided to take the sausage out of its casing and try cooking and chopping it into pieces. The sausage was amazing that way! It was able to blend with the rest of the hash ingredients better and add even more flavor to the dish. Try this recipe for your next brunch gathering or possibly for Mother’s Day this weekend! Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hash with Rosemary Garlic Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 Lava Lake Lamb Rosemary Garlic Sausage, casing removed
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Procedure

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a skillet heat the butter until it foams and then add the onions. Cook until onions are brown adjusting the heat as necessary.

2) In a separate skillet cook the sausage removed from its casing. Chop into smaller pieces with the spatula as you cook.

3) While the onions and sausage are cooking prep the sweet potato by peeling and cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes. Mix sweet potato with minced garlic and rosemary and coat with olive oil.

4) When the onions are dark brown and the sausage is cooked and crispy, stir them into the sweet potatoes.

5) Transfer the entire mixture to a baking sheet and roast for 20 -30 minutes.

6) Serve with fresh basil and top with an over easy egg.

Students from The Community School participating in restoration work at Lava Lake Ranch

When searching for creative Cinco de Mayo recipes I got inspired to try something new with lamb. One of my favorite dishes is shredded pork carnitas. I love the texture and the tenderness of carnitas, not to mention the flavor slow cooked into the meat.

Lamb shoulder is the perfect cut to experiment with for a carnitas style dish because it shreds well when cooked for lengthy amounts of time. I was unable to find a recipe that was exactly the combo of spices and cooking style that I was looking for. So instead I used inspiration from some different sources and came up with my own recipe for Shredded Lamb with Pasilla Sauce. The pasilla sauce I created is not spicy but contains the strong essence of the pepper. It has a very fresh taste that can be used is a variety of ways and I would definitely make it in the future.

After this adventure in slow cooking and shredding the shoulder, this is my new favorite way to prepare this cut. I used the meat and sauce for tacos in the evening and with two fried eggs in the morning. I could see myself using this recipe in the future for tamales, nachos, sandwiches, enchiladas, etc. This is an all purpose delicious shredded lamb recipe! Enjoy!

Shredded Lamb with Pasilla Sauce

All that was missing with this meal was the perfect margarita.

Shredded Lamb with Pasilla Sauce

Ingredients

• Lava Lake Lamb Shoulder
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled(reserve 2 cloves for the sauce)
• 4 cups water
• salt
• 2 fresh pasilla peppers, seeded and stemmed
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp chipolte sauce
• freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

1) Place chopped onion, 4 cloves of garlic and 4 cups of water in a slow cooker. Salt all sides of the lamb shoulder and place it in the slow cooks. Cook for 6 – 8 hours or until tender to the point of shredding.

2) Remove meat from the slow cooker and discard any visible fat. Separate the meat into large chunks and let it rest while you make the pasilla sauce.

3) Soak the seeded and stemmed pasilla peppers in warm water for 20 minutes. Remove the peppers from water and pat dry. Place in an oiled skillet and cook on each side for 2 minutes turning every 30 seconds.

4) Transfer the peppers to the blender and pour in the diced tomatoes. Add 1 tbsp of chipotle sauce and 2 garlic cloves. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

5) Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Shred the lamb meat using two forks, discarding any fat as you go. Once all the meat is shredded place it in a baking dish. Toss in the pasilla sauce so the meat is coated but not over sauced. Reserve some sauce for serving with the meat.

6) Cook the meat until it starts to crisp up, about 20 – 30minutes, stirring occasionally.

7) Serve the shredded lamb and additional sauce with taco fixings or as desired.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. If you haven’t found the perfect gift to surprise mom with, look no further. Just for Mother’s Day we are offering our Loin Chop Lover’s Package for $99.95 – that’s $45 off! The package includes 16 delicious, grass-fed loin chops, one of our favorite cuts and the filet mignon of lamb. She will love this cut and the abundance of chops to share or use for meals to come!

Order by Sunday, May 6th to ensure delivery before Mother’s Day. Click here to order now.