Iowa Lamb and Wool Promotion Board

1. Instant pot caramelized onions: 

In the instant pot, add the butter, onions, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the lid of the Instant pot and make sure the vent valve is sealed. Set to “pressure cook” on high for 2 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, manually release the pressure. Drain any excess liquid from the onions and place them back into the pot. Then switch the Instant pot to “saute” on high and stir the onions every minute or so until the onions are nicely golden brown (about 10-20 minutes). 

2. Sear lamb: 

Remove the onions from the Instant pot and add the high heat oil. Keep the Instant pot on high “saute” setting and when the oil is hot, add the American lamb shoulder and sear on all sides for a couple of minutes or until a nice golden brown crispy crust develops. 

3. Saute veggies: 

Remove the lamb pieces from the Instant pot and add back the caramelized onions. Add in the chopped garlic and stir for another minute until fragrant. Then add the tomato paste and stir into the carrots and saute for another couple of minutes so that the tomato paste begins to caramelize a bit.

4. Deglaze, add herbs: 

Deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add in the broth and stir to combine. Throw in the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. You may tie the rosemary and thyme into a bouquet with cooking twine for easy removal if you like. 

5. Cook: 

Add the lid of the Instant Pot and set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour. After the cooking time, release the valve to let the Instant Pot to release the steam. Use tongs to break up the lamb meat and remove the bones and the fresh herb stems. 

6.Toppings: 

Add the soup to individual oven safe serving bowls and top with a toasted slice of bread and some grated gruyere cheese. Place under the broiler for 1 minute to melt the cheese. Top with some fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Bring the rack to room temperature (at least 30 minutes out of the refrigerator) before grilling. Trim some of the fat cap off the rack, leaving about 1/4 inch of fat on the rack. 

For the Dijon-Balsamic Glaze: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add wine, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine; bring to a boil. Lower heat and reduce by half. Cool slightly; brush liberally on lamb. (If there is leftover, brush on the rack as it cooks.) 

For the Toasted Bread Crumb Dip:  In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add oil and bread crumbs. Stir, toasting until the bread crumbs brown. Season to taste with salt. 

Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill the rack over medium-high heat, fat-side down. Once browned, flip the rack over and move to a cooler part of the grill. Grill to medium-rare (remove from heat when thermometer registers between 130°F and 135°F, or to desired doneness). Allow rack to rest, lightly covered, for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Cut into 2-chop portions (double chops), or slice into 8 chops. Before serving, dip one side of each chop into the bread crumb mixture.

Start by making the lamb mixture.

Preheat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.

Start cooking the onions until they’re soft.

Season the lamb with all the spice blend above and add it with the onions and cook over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently until the lamb is cooked*.

*Note: USDA recommends ground lamb reach an internal temperature of 160F.

Turn off the heat and finish off with cilantro. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all the cream cheese filling ingredients and blend well.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet, cut side up.

Fill each jalapeño half with a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture. Top that with a tablespoon of the lamb mixture. Finish off with more shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake the jalapeño peppers for 16-20 minutes (depending on the size of your peppers).

Remove from the oven.

Serve on a cutting board with your favorite toppings, or serve as is!

In a bowl, add lamb, Tabasco, steak sauce, salt and pepper; using your hands, mix together and form into 4 burger patties. Place lamb burgers on the grill; cook over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes per side for medium. With about 1 minute left in cooking, add a cheddar slice to each burger to melt. 

To assemble: Place arugula on the bottom bun. Top with tomato followed by the lamb burger, handful of frites, more steak sauce and the top bun. Repeat process for remaining burgers.