planning a special dinner around barbecued lamp chops with rosemary...
What side dishes do I serve with it? But more important, what wine?
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I almost always pair red Bordeaux or Rioja with lamb.
As far as side dishes, a potato of some kind works for me, but almost any vegetable would fit.
As far as side dishes, a potato of some kind works for me, but almost any vegetable would fit.
Root vegetables tend to go best with roast lamb, so potatoes, carrots, roasted parsnips etc. However, steamed greens also help to change the textures available.
Wine - what Baird said
Wine - what Baird said
It depends on the type of sauce or rub you are using on the lamb if any. If it has some spice to it, go with a Zin or Syrah. If not and it is just the Rosemary flavor, go with a Red Bordeaux
Good suggestions. I'd just add a syrah/shiraz to the mix. With the rosemary seasoning maybe lean towards a French syrah or blend rather than an Aussie. For sides, cous-cous with some good olive oil drizzled over the top would work.
Prof, I beat you to it.
Zin and lamb are not a great match in my opinion no matter the sauce or rub.
Most restaurants would disagree. We almost always recommended that in my former restaurant. If the Lamb has a spice to it, the Zin can be a strong match. Otherwise we would go with a French Syrah.
If the restaurant is pairing sauces so overwhelming to the lamb, that it now would pair nicely with a Zin, I am very fortunate not to have eaten at any such establishment.
Red Bordeaux and Syrah make sense. MAYBE a subtle Zin, but it would have to be extraordinary and therefore I wouldn't recommend it as a good pairing with lamb.
Red Bordeaux and Syrah make sense. MAYBE a subtle Zin, but it would have to be extraordinary and therefore I wouldn't recommend it as a good pairing with lamb.
A Rhone red, or a New World Syrah/Shiraz or Zin would be my choice. Cabernet should also be fine.
Of course you would think that. That says a lot about you. Many restaurants choose to sauce lamb. No one said it was overpowering.
I am saying it would have to be overpowering in order to work with a zinfandel.
And stop using restaurant references like you invented them. I too know my way around a restaurant as I've worked in kitchens and front of houses of some of Toronto's best restaurants.
And stop using restaurant references like you invented them. I too know my way around a restaurant as I've worked in kitchens and front of houses of some of Toronto's best restaurants.
There's no reason not to pair broiled lamb chops with Zinfandel. Other choices also work well.
Another vote for a Rioja. Had one with a lamb stew a few weeks ago and it was a great match.
PH
PH
Who said I invented one. I owned one, but nobody said I invented them. I am glad to know that the kitchens in Toronto were in such good hands.
quote:Originally posted by joshtpa:
Most restaurants would disagree. We almost always recommended that in my former restaurant. If the Lamb has a spice to it, the Zin can be a strong match. Otherwise we would go with a French Syrah.
"Most restaurants" aren't particularly good-- I wouldn't base any opinion on what "Most" would do, but rather on what the very good ones do. In that vein, I don't think Zinfandel is what most good restaurants would recommend.
Northern Rhone Syrah loves the gaminess of lamb, as does Rioja. Chateauneuf-du-Pape works very well with rosemary, also. I would oven-roast potatoes with rosemary as a side dish, but I then I like rosemary quite a lot.
I tend to go with Syrah and rhone wines with lamb. I second Seaquam's idea of the potatoes. I make such a side dish and it was great with leg of lamb.
i don't know what price point you're looking, but i've had some delicious blends that could work well.
-Santa Barbara Winery ZCS
-The Other
-Pike's Luccio
and what about Oregon Pinot Noir? Some of them are light, but display alot of fruit, herbalness and earth.
i don't eat lamb, but imagine that the fruit in the pinot would do well with the heat of the BBQ, but also compliment the rosemary, and not over power the lamb.
no?
(i'm partial to burgundy and OR pinot though. generally i find a way to serve it with everything, lol)
-Santa Barbara Winery ZCS
-The Other
-Pike's Luccio
and what about Oregon Pinot Noir? Some of them are light, but display alot of fruit, herbalness and earth.
i don't eat lamb, but imagine that the fruit in the pinot would do well with the heat of the BBQ, but also compliment the rosemary, and not over power the lamb.
no?
(i'm partial to burgundy and OR pinot though. generally i find a way to serve it with everything, lol)
Syrah would be my first choice
PN or Burgundy would be my 2nd choice
Barolo would be my 3rd choice
PN or Burgundy would be my 2nd choice
Barolo would be my 3rd choice
I almost always go with a Syrah/Shiraz with lamb.
I can't think of a better pairing that some of that '01 Cline Small Berry Mourvedre. The eucalyptus notes on that wine should make a gamey piece of lamb sing.
Love the lamb and syrah combo.......
I'd serve something from languedoc.
Side dishes for lamb:
1) Steamed green beans, just stir through a knob of butter a minute or so before serving.
2) Potato can be done in many ways. One of my favourity ways for a side dish of lamb is to cut the spuds into 1/2 inch cubes (or spheres using a melon baller if you want to be exotic).
Par boil these, best way is to put them in cold water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until they are slightly underdone.
Drain and let cool.
Shallow fry them in good quality olive oil with finely chopped garlic and finely chopped rosemary - you want about 1/8 of an inch of olive oil in the pan. You want to get the oil just underneath it's smoking point so that you get a little crust on the outside of the potato.
Sprinkle lightly with coarsely ground sea salt just before serving
3) For a third side dish I'd probably go with a fairly simple carrot dish, maybe even that old cliche of honeyed carrots.
As for a wine match:
I'm going to go completely different to everybody else and suggest a good new world cab sav with at least 10 years bottle age. The important thing is to go for a lighter more fruit driven cab-sav not not some huge tannin beast. A good 1996 CS from Coonawarra, such as Wynns John Micheal, Orlando's St Hugo or Zema Estate Family Selection.
1) Steamed green beans, just stir through a knob of butter a minute or so before serving.
2) Potato can be done in many ways. One of my favourity ways for a side dish of lamb is to cut the spuds into 1/2 inch cubes (or spheres using a melon baller if you want to be exotic).
Par boil these, best way is to put them in cold water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until they are slightly underdone.
Drain and let cool.
Shallow fry them in good quality olive oil with finely chopped garlic and finely chopped rosemary - you want about 1/8 of an inch of olive oil in the pan. You want to get the oil just underneath it's smoking point so that you get a little crust on the outside of the potato.
Sprinkle lightly with coarsely ground sea salt just before serving
3) For a third side dish I'd probably go with a fairly simple carrot dish, maybe even that old cliche of honeyed carrots.
As for a wine match:
I'm going to go completely different to everybody else and suggest a good new world cab sav with at least 10 years bottle age. The important thing is to go for a lighter more fruit driven cab-sav not not some huge tannin beast. A good 1996 CS from Coonawarra, such as Wynns John Micheal, Orlando's St Hugo or Zema Estate Family Selection.
quote:Originally posted by Pauly:
1) Steamed green beans, just stir through a knob of butter a minute or so before serving.
.
How much butter in a knob? Because I've heard that knobs, much like dorks, come in different shapes and sizes.
quote:Originally posted by Seaquam:
How much butter in a knob? Because I've heard that knobs, much like dorks, come in different shapes and sizes.
It's probably more important to use a widget to stir it with.
quote:Originally posted by Pauly:
It's probably more important to use a widget to stir it with.
Well, now you're just plain being dirty!
Another vote for the Rhone. A good side dish for lamb is a puree of white root vegatables. I like the one in Richard Onleys cookbook on Provence. Turns out great every time.
Lamb with rosemary would suggest a grenache based Rhone to me.
Gigondas or CdP.
Gigondas or CdP.
I would keep the light fixtures off the grill and stick with something from the grocery store. 
Ok, here's the decision...and thanks for all your suggestions
I went with a Bordeaux because I've never tried one before. I bought a 2001 Premius. I really didn't know what I was doing buying a Bordeaux. A Brand/Winery would help next time. I'll let you know how it comes out.
I went with a Bordeaux because I've never tried one before. I bought a 2001 Premius. I really didn't know what I was doing buying a Bordeaux. A Brand/Winery would help next time. I'll let you know how it comes out.