Moroccan Lamb Improvisation

I bought a butterflied leg of lamb on sale but did not know what to do with it. Too cold and dark to grill. Too late to marinate overnight. I ended up creating an easy week night dinner. An extra bonus: just about all of the lamb from New Zealand is grass-fed!

• Trim as much fat as possible off the lamb, then slice into thin (¼ inch), small (1–2 inches long) pieces. 
• In a small bowl, squeeze the juice from a lemon and add some cumin, curry powder, salt, pepper and olive oil. Let meat marinate in this lemon mixture while you prepare salad and a vegetable. I suggest roasted cauliflower with thyme and a plain green salad.  
• Heat a skillet on medium high. Add some oil, and when it’s almost smoking, add some of the lamb slices. Don’t overcrowd them or they will not brown. Cook in 3 or 4 batches until it’s the way you like (I like them still pink). This only takes a few minutes. 

These are delicious plain or served with tzatziki (the Trader Joe’s version is good) or one of my Greek yogurt sauces.

Click here to print or save this improvisation (PDF).

NOTE: This is an “improvisation,” not a complete recipe. In an improvisation, I suggest some basic ingredients and techniques to inspire you to create your own dish based on your mood and the ingredients you have on hand. For traditional recipes, check out those without the word “improvisation” in the title.