Lamb Spiedies

One of our favorites!

Tender marinated and braised lamb, tart and creamy tzatziki sauce topped with pickled onions and cucumbers on warmed flat bread

Typically we try to come up with a dinner theme for the holidays

We have had the normal classic Christmas rib roast with all the trimmings, we have had a Southern Christmas featuring fried chicken, ribs, mac and cheese and even baked beans

This year we decided to go with a Greek theme

My brother in law Anthony decided he would make lamb spiedies for an appetizer which sounded good to us

Typically Spiedies are some form of meat or protein that marinate for days and are grilled and served on a roll

In fact you can click on our link for a great Chicken Spiedies recipe

What happened with this recipe though ended up being a great twist

Since it was winter Anthony decided not to deal with the grill outside and instead braised the lamb in a dutch oven which produced delicious fork tender meat

He also added green bell pepper and onion which added wonderful flavours

Here is our recreation of this great dish

When we went to the butcher they were out of lamb stew meat so I bought 8 lamb shoulder chops

I decided to butcher the meat myself

Remove the meat from the bones and trim off any excess fat

Try to cut the meat into even sized cubes

This yielded around 2 pounds of lamb stew

Now for the spiedie marinade

We will need 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 3 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1/2 tablespoon of dry basil, 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of dry oregano and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Add the above ingredients to a large bowl

Whisk to incorporate

Add the lamb to a large resealable bag

Cover with the marinade, force the air out of the bag and seal

Refrigerate up to 4 days flipping the bag over once per day

Now my brother in law served these spiedie style on rolls

We decided to go a more Greek route and use flatbreads with Tzatziki Sauce

Click on our link to make your own tzatziki!

I also thought some pickled veggies would be a great contrast to the richness of the lamb so we decided to do a quick pickle of red onion and cucumbers

You can do this a day ahead or even a couple hours ahead of the lamb dinner

Slice 1 red onion and cut 1/2 of an English cucumber into strips

We placed these into a mason jar

Put some onion then cucumber and alternate until everyone is in

Next up is the pickling brine

We will need 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, 1 smashed garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns

Add these ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer and whisk until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved

Immediately pour over the onion and cucumber

Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple of hours

I like to flip the jar every hour or so

The veggies will soften and pickle and settle way down in the jar

Now let’s get back to the lamb

Strain the lamb

Preheat your oven to 350 F

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat

Brown the lamb in batches and remove and set aside

Next we will need 1 green bell pepper and 1 onion

Peel and slice the onion

Remove the seeds and ribs from the pepper and slice

Add the veggies to the pot along with a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper

Cook for 4-6 minutes stirring occasionally

Next we will need 1/2 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet), 1 cup of lamb stock (or beef), 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master and 1/4 cup of flour

Add the meat into the pot along with the red wine

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 4-6 minutes

Add in the Gravy Master and stir to combine

Sprinkle the meat with the flour and stir

Add in the stock

Stir to combine

Cover and place into the oven

Cook 45 minutes or until the lamb is very tender

I like to place the flat breads in the oven to warm for 5-6 minutes

Top the flat bread with some Tzatziki Sauce

Top with some of this wonderful tender lamb

Top with the quick pickles and dig in!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Lamb Spiedies

Servings: 6-8
Time: Prep 25 Min, Marinate 3-4 Days, Cook 1 Hour 15 Min
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

For the Spiedie marinade

1 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of white vinegar

3 garlic cloves

1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon of dry basil

1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder

2 teaspoons of dry oregano

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

For the lamb

2 pounds of lamb stew

1 onion

1 green bell pepper

1/2 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet)

1 cup of lamb stock (or beef)

1 tablespoon of Gravy Master

1/4 cup of flour

kosher salt and ground black pepper

Flatbreads (optional)

Tzatziki Sauce (optional)

For the quick pickled vegetables

1 red onion

1/2 of an English cucumber

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup of water

1 garlic clove (smashed)

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns

Directions

Remove the meat from the bones off of 8 lamb shoulder chops and trim off any excess fat. Try to cut the meat into even sized cubes

In a large bowl whisk together 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 3 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1/2 tablespoon of dry basil, 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of dry oregano and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Place the lamb in a large resealable bag. Cover with the marinade, force the air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate up to 4 days flipping over once per day. After the lamb has marinated strain it

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the lamb in batches and remove and set aside. Peel and slice 1 onion. Remove the seeds and ribs from 1 green bell pepper and slice

Add the veggies to the pot along with a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 4-6 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the meat back into the pot along with 1/2 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet). Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 4-6 minutes

Add in the Gravy Master and stir to combine. Sprinkle the meat with the 1/4 cup of flour and stir. Add in the stock. Stir to combine. Cover and place into the oven. Cook 45 minutes or until the lamb is very tender

For the quick pickled vegetables

Peel and slice 1 red onion. Slice 1/2 of an English cucumber into strips. Add these to a mason jar alternating

In a saucepan combine 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, 1 smashed garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns

Bring to a simmer. Whisk until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved and immediately pour over the onion and cucumber. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple of hours flipping the jar every hour or so

The veggies will soften and pickle and settle way down in the jar

For serving

Warm some flatbreads in the oven for 5-6 minutes (optional). Serve with some Greek Tzatziki Sauce (optional) and quick pickles (optional)

Tools used to make this recipe

ZELITE INFINITY Boning Knife 6 Inch

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Pyrex Mixing Bowl

OXO Good Grips Balloon Whisk

Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven