Sunday Traditions and Lamb Filets

Whew! What a week! It was packed full and included some new experiences. Monday was completely busy. I got to pick up the car I bought (exciting!!!!) Also, that evening was my first orchestra practice. It was a lot fun, but I am completely rusty. I can't wait to get back into it regularly and improve but it really reconfirmed to me how much I had really missed playing music. Tuesday through Friday were some stressful workdays for both my husband and me. Finally, last night we attended a dinner party that was thrown by a wonderful couple we know.

After all this, today we do what we normally do on Sundays and that is relax! We usually have lazy Sundays to get prepared for the upcoming week and just spend some quality time with each other. Sunday is usually the day that I can spend the day cooking and baking some yummy things. I enjoy trying to stay with some sort of tradition. My husband grew up having beautiful roasts on Sunday and I also grew up with gorgeous slow cooked meals; so, I guess Sundays spent the way my husband and I spend them are, in a way, continuing tradition from the way we both grew up.

Today, I marinated some lamb filets. They marinated for about 4 hours and the results were perfect! I served them with a side of mashed potatoes with caramelized onions. My husband said that this was some of the best mashed potatoes I've ever made and when and Irishman tells you that, you don't argue :)

Marinated Lamb Filets
Serves 4

For the marinade:
4 lamb filets
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

The lamb I found was in the meat section pre-packaged. These filets looked really nice, so we picked these to cook. Open the filets and place them into a glass dish that will fit the filets and marinade comfortably.

Put all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

Pour the marinade over the lamb.

Make sure the filets are completely covered in the marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

After the marinade time, remove the lamb from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.You want the meat to come to room temperature before cooking so that the meat does not stay cold in the middle while cooking.

Heat a non-stick grill pan on medium-high heat.

Once the pan is hot, place the filets into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until the meat is brown on the the outside, but still pink on the inside.

Remove the filets from the pan and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Once the meat has rested, slice and serve.

I made these filets along with some mashed potatoes with caramelized onions. The recipe follows.

Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4 as a side

2 small yellow onions, sliced thin
1 small red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons butter, divided
fat pinch of sugar
1lb mashing potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the onions and heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add one tablespoon of butter.

Once the butter is melted, add the onions and the sugar. Stir everything until the onions are coated with butter. Turn the heat down to low. Cook the onions on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions will be completely soft and turned golden brown.

While the onions are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Put the cooked onions into a bowl, and once the potatoes are cooked, add the potatoes to the bowl and the rest of the ingredients.

Mash the potatoes and combine everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

What a perfect way to spend a Sunday! The lamb was tender and juicy and the flavors of the marinade really helped to enhance the flavor of the lamb. The potatoes were perfect and the caramelized onions were sweet and savory at the same time. It was a gorgeous meal and this is the kind of meal that makes me happy to stick with tradition :)

Happy Eating!