Simple Grilled Lamb Shoulder Blades

Lamb shoulder blades entered into our dinner repertoire because they are surprisingly delicious, and, compared to other cuts of lamb, less expensive, thereby making them a good “everyday” option (i.e. not “special occasion”).  When we first bought shoulder blades to cook at home, we worried that the meat might be chewy (they kind of look it at the butcher’s); but after marinating overnight and cooking them simply, the meat on the blades are tender and very flavorful.  I marinate the blades in my go-to mix of lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil overnight.  Although some pieces might be a little sinewy or have an intricate maze of bones — requiring patience for the eater — lamb shoulder blades are a good option if you want a good amount of lamb for less.   I’m sure slow-cooking will be a good method for them.  So far I have seen 2 types of grass-fed lamb shoulder blades: New Zealand and Icelandic.  The Icelandic lamb is smaller than the New Zealand lamb.  Although lamb blades may not be to everyone’s taste, if you’re interested, it’s worth trying!

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 pieces of lamb shoulder blades

MARINADE

• Juice of one lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated through a Microplane
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper

Mix the ingredients for the marinade.

In a tray/dish, marinate the lamb blades.  Cover and refrigerate over night.

The next day — to cook:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Drizzle some olive oil on a skillet over medium high heat.  Sear the lamb blades in the skillet for 6 minutes.  Turn over the blades, and then put the skillet in the oven, cooking for another 6 minutes.

Remove from the pan and rest for 5 minutes.  (The blades will be about medium rare.)

I made a simple tomato/avocado/basil salad to go with the blades, and also a “basil chimichurri” — basil, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil blended together in a food processor and seasoned to taste.