It’s what they call a meta moment. I was eating a sandwich-that ingeniously conceived piece of food architecture-while reading about a sandwich. More to the point, a lamb sandwich while skimming a lamb sandwich recipe, like working at the Smithfield factory while reading Charlotte’s Web, or to be precise and less gruesome, more like a cabbie watching taxi driver.
I consider myself somewhat of an authority on the lamb sammie, and this one was superior. Better, actually, than the one we posted a while back. I have happily hit upon perhaps the finest method of cooking a sammie-destined lamb leg. But back to the sandwich.
A lamb-or any similar sandwich-isn’t about excavating spoonfuls of dry scraps and piling them between the bread. To use a familiar example, a turkey sandwich is composed of three critical stages: a good bird; proper cooking; quick use, no more than 24 hours after you pull it from the oven.
Most cookbooks are fundamentally ignorant of the above strictures. Take Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town/Country, or Keller’s Bouchon. Both recipes call for “leftover lamb”, though at least Keller specifies the meat be “from the day before” as well as the leg. Zakarian suggests all kinds of “leftover” cuts i.e. rack, leg, shanks…whatever. Because a lamb sandwich is about sliced, not shredded meat, shanks are inadvisable. As for rack, who the hell is going to have leftover rack of lamb? As it is, the chops are tiny, and they cost over $20 a pound. In addition, he offhandedly recommends you just go out and double your lamb purchase expressly to make a next day sandwich.
Leftovers are fine for sandwiches: see turkey, chicken, and meatloaf. But there’s something about more delicate, slightly gamey meats, that doesn’t feel right. I’ve never, for instance, heard of a leftover duck sub, or craving a late night quail sandwich. Anyway, the idea of using leftovers is slightly insulting to the animal. Why not cook it for the express purpose of slicing and layering between bread with the condiment and topping of your choice?
Obviously you shouldn’t buy eight pounds of meat just for a sandwich. That’s step one. Step two is cooking it the right way. Because a sandwich is all about balance, the meat has to be doubly tasty so that it doesn’t get lost amid the bread and whatever else you have in there. So you have to be a little careful about how to cook the lamb.
A marinade is critical. Herbs, garlic, thyme, olive oil. But the recipe from Fiona Dunlop’s Tapas goes several steps beyond a mere marinade. The meat is seared and simmered in a full quart of olive oil along with a bunch of leeks, garlic, mushrooms, etc. And a cup of red wine vinegar, which is the key. Next, it’s marinated in the cooking liquid for 4, yes 4 days. Essentially, you’re making marinated, vinegary, lamb confit.
Four days later, uncovering the lamb, you immediately inhale the most delicious aroma of garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and lamb. The vinegar has provided you with a ready-made dressing, which you can spoon onto your toasted bread. A few romaine leaves and you have the best lamb sammie you’ll ever eat. Never again will you roast a lamb with leftover in mind. Respect the animal at least that much.
(NOTE: The dish is actually called “Marinated Lamb and Watercress Salad” but I like sandwiches better than salad, so there you go.)
Lamb Sandwich w/ Vinegar (adapted from Tapas by Fiona Dunlop)
For 4 sandwiches
2 pound lamb from the leg, tied
4 cups olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
¼ pound mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 leeks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
small bunch thyme
1 head romaine
4 sub rolls
salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Season lamb with salt and pepper. Brown all over in pan with a bit of olive oil. Transfer to a casserole, pour over the oil, vinegar, and vegetables. Cover and simmer in the oven for an hour to an hour-and-a-half. If the oil is bubbling too much, turn down the oven. Remove and let cool in the liquid. The lamb should be just medium rare.
- Cover and marinate for 4 days.
- Remove, slice thinly. Split and lightly toast the rolls. Drizzle some of the marinade on both sides, top with a few leaves of romaine, shingle the lamb, season with a bit of salt, and serve.
