Possible Flavor Pairings with Lamb

[BoldBaker]

Hi everybody,

Considereing that everybody here is so knowledgable on the topic of food and I am going to soon be preparing myself and some others a luxurious dinner. However; I had (a) question(s). I was planning on doing lamb braised with herbs de province and red wine, I was wondering if this would pair well with truffle mashed yukon golds.

Thanks

[mkayahara]

To my mind, braised meat and mashed potatoes always go well together. The only thing I'd be unsure about here is the truffles. I don't have enough experience with them, but I could see a potential clash between their earthiness and the floral note of the berbes de Provence, especially if there's lavender involved. I'm sure others around here have more truffle experience than I and can offer more constructive feedback.

[Eastgate]

I've got no objection to the truffles; " smoke 'em if you got 'em". But I see no necessity.

I like playing rich against rich; why not a potatoes dauphinoise? Or, mashed potatoes flavored with garlic and rosemary?

If you're going to want truffle, how about going overboard and doing a frestanding truffled custard? Or, maybe a wild mushroom ragout?

Yorkshire puddings can be lovely with lamb.

[Blether]

To ignore your question and go with the topic name, pastis (Pernod / Ricard) is a surprisingly good partner to lamb - and lamb is the one mainstream red meat the pairing works with.

[djyee100]

So I dug into my kitchen cabinet until I found my jar of herbes de Provence, took a pinch, and tasted it. The combo of lamb, herbes de Provence, and truffles should be fine. My Herbes de Provence had a whiff of lavender when I smelled it, but the lavender does not dominate the blend. The flavor of the herbs is mostly green: basil, rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme. All those herbs should go fine with lamb and truffles. My Herbes de Provence had quite a bit of fennel seed in it also. I suggest you taste your herb blend and go from there. Each herb blend for "herbes de Provence" varies, depending on the purveyor.

[rlibkind]

Consider beans rather than potato. Very traditional with lamb, including lentils. One of the wonders of beans is how well they work with other flavors. Another advantage: many can be prepared in advance and simply reheated (though lentils tend to become too soft; but since they cook so quickly compared to other beans same-day prep is not an issue).

[JBailey]

Something else to factor into your meal and sides is whether you are offering a mint sauce as well. I cook lamb often and find my preference is a mint sauce in the traditional English style rather than the ubiquitous green jelly! Whole Foods has an apple mint jelly which is outstanding, though. It is a redish color and flavors well with lamb.

[OliverB]

I'm also not sure about the truffles, they might go just fine, but I think they would get lost in the full flavors you already have there. I think putting some nice dried mushrooms into the braise would be better, though not really necessary. I think with braised things it would be nice to have roasted potatoes or country fries or even regular fries to have something crunchy. Maybe even garlic fries, though they then might overpower the meat part.

I'd keep the truffles for scrambled eggs the next morning. And I need to get me some truffles soon!

Or, if you're making a whole dinner, maybe start with a soup with some truffles shaved on instead?

[Dave Hatfield]

Like many other I think the truffles would be somewhat wasted.

Mashed potatoes, beans or lentils all go well with lamb.

You don't mention which cut of lamb you'll be braising.

If its shoulder then I might suggest a very slow roast (4-6 hours) with the herbs de Province, garlic and salt & pepper. The pan juices make a wonderful gravy.

If its a leg I suggest boning it then placing several anchovy fillets in the cavity before tying it up for the slow roast. Herbs de Province on the outside go well.

If its other bits the I suggest a braise with lentils. This is especially nice with lamb shanks. Yet again, H de P work well.

Enjoy.

PS: Personal prejudice . I can't stand mint sauce with lamb. This creates problems with my English wife!

[BoldBaker]

Sorry about the time it took to reply, but dinner was delicious.

I ended up braising the lamb shanks with rosemary, red wine, thyme, rosemary, and stock. The fall off meat and juices were absorbed graciously by the lightly flavored truffled potatoes. It was nice, because the truffle flavor didn't overwhelm the dish, but were terrifically subtle. I managed to soak up the extra juices with hot sourdough country bread, I know it's against the rules, but watching the butter melt on the bread is so tantalizing. Anyway, thanks!

PS- my dad asked for mint jelly, I almost...