Sandwich - Lamb Sandwich

We have some leftover grilled lamb.

Not very likely, you say.

True, but the circumstances here are exceptional, and the end result is that we have a left over lamb chop. We bought a lot of them, and we thought we could eat them all -- they were grilled, after all -- but our ideas were bigger than our stomachs. It can happen, even if it is rare.

Let's face it, however, we now have an opportunity for a rare and delicious sandwich!

If we treat it right.

What a great lunch a sandwich makes! Salads are great also, but there is something uniquely satisfying about taking a big bite of something delicious -- grilled vegetables or grilled swordfish are other possibilities -- between two pieces of delicious bread. A grilled lamb sandwich has all that, plus the rare opportunity to have something between those two pieces of bread that is not found there often enough.

Sandwich - Lamb Sandwich

First comes the bread. In this particular case we have sourdough bread, cut from a boule (sometimes, unfortunately, called a "round loaf"). The bread should be grilled or toasted for best effect -- not absolutely necessary if you are in a hurry, but definitely worth the small effort is you can make it.

One the left side, that is, on the left piece of bread, is spooned the pan juices from the pan that held the lamb chops. Again the idea that there would be any of these juices left over is unlikely -- but there it is! Actually, once we realized that we weren't going to be able to eat all of the lamb chops we had grilled we made a special effort to conserve some of the pan juices to go with the leftover chop.

On top of this lie two marinated artichoke hearts. We could place slices of tomato there instead, or even as well as. Grilled mushrooms would also be delightful. But the flavor of this unique sandwich comes through best, we think, with the simplicity of the artichoke hearts alone.

On the right side we have a layer of coarse ground Dijon mustard overlayered by a layer of mayo. The combination of Dijon and mayo is a sort of instant sauce for many sandwich things, a note of zing (the Dijon) in a bath of oleaginous moistening.

Tear the meat off the chop and preserve it in one piece as best we can. Dig out any meat that is clinging to the bone in nooks and crannies. Size doesn't matter. Flavor matters.

We slice the meat into the nice pieces shown here.

We lay these on the bread on the right, the bread with the mustard and the mayo.

We try to control ourselves.

"Opposing sides together" -- That's what makes a sandwich a sandwich! At least if what's inside is anything like as good as this.

The lamb is inside there, and we know it tastes delicious. The marinated artichoke hearts, the pan juices and the condiments also all taste delicious. Bring those opposing sides together!

The dill pickle provides a bit of crunch that goes well with this lamb sandwich. An Arnold Palmer also goes well with this. I have a write-up on this increasingly famous beverage as well; see soft-drink-diy-cool.

With a bit of the artichoke heart showing as well.

Looks like something you could get your mouth into, does it not? Or rather, something to get into your mouth!

Either way, here we come.

See below for the big picture, the irresistible picture.

Parting facts about this lamb sandwich. Would this sandwich work with mutton? What's mutton? Well, it's not hogget, which comes from a sheep older than one year but not yet adult. Mutton is the word used, technically, for meat that is from an adult. Yes, this sandwich would work with mutton, if you could find it, though the taste is generally considered a bit stronger. For this reason -- stronger taste -- mutton is often used in curries, which of course greatly alter the taste. Actually, the US doesn't much bother with these distinctions and refers to everything as "lamb." But in other countries they mean a lot.

Among nutritionists, lamb ranks high as a red meat. Indeed, they seek to encourage countries like the US to consume more of it. The topic is a complex one -- just search the net for "nutritional value of lamb" and you will see -- partly because the exact benefits vary depending on what the lamb was fed. As a general rule, however, lamb sandwiches like this one would be good for heart health and for controlling blood pressure.

The animal from which all this goodness comes was domesticated from the mouflon, one of those creatures which bound around in apparent recklessness on the sides of mountains, perhaps 10,000 years ago. 10,000 years of domestication is hard to imagine, is it not? Because they also provide wool, people had a double incentive to transport sheep and establish them all over the world. Just think, all that history and nutrition in one delicious sandwich.

The origin of the sandwich, incidentally, is obscure, debatable, contested, interesting, and -- most importantly -- critical to the idea of a good lunch.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

Series within series, actually. Food & Cooking, for example, then -- within that -- series on vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat, etc. Books, too. Ideas, too. Travel, too. Key virtues:. pictures, clear step-by-step text. Delicious -- whether foods or ideas! All of the series, and all of the items in each series, can be found, organized by floor, at this link: Lee White's Department Store. Happy shopping! -- everything is for free!

Real Meal. Unlike fancy food mags, where images are hyped and food itself is secondary, all pix shown here are from a real meal, prepared and eaten by me and my friends. No throwing anything away till perfection is achieved. This is the real deal --- a Real Meal.