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Turkey had its time in November.
Now it’s time to deck the halls, or at least the table, and roasted meat is still a great way to celebrate and feed a small crowd. Lamb is luxurious, festive and it can also be local.
One terrific New Mexico purveyor of lamb is Ranchline All Natural of Roswell. But before we talk about dressing up your holiday table with a lovely leg of lamb, meet Todd Taylor of Ranchline, whom I first encountered this summer at the Eldorado Farmers’ Market. His display was sparse.
A generic white cooler and a chalkboard with prices were on the table. A sign with the company name was overhead. The jewels were inside the cooler: locally raised all-natural lamb from his family ranch, plus Certified Angus Beef from Ranchline’s partner ranch in Montana. On countless Fridays, I’ve stopped by his table to talk and purchase different cuts of meat. Now it is December, and as I recently pulled packages of ground lamb and ground beef from the freezer to make a tasty Moroccan meatloaf for dinner, I was grateful that Taylor decided to expand his marketing efforts by visiting farmers’ markets across the state. Ranchline has been selling its naturally raised lamb to restaurants in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces and other locations for three years. Its largest customer is the La Fonda in Santa Fe, and it delivers as far south as Ardovino’s Desert Crossing restaurant in Sunland Park. From the “lollipop” two-bite lamb chops, to regular chops, leg of lamb, ground lamb and stew meat, every cut of this locally raised lamb is outstanding. “Meeting our customer base brings us closer to them and hearing how much they love the product gives us great feedback,” said Taylor. Taylor drove relentlessly this summer traveling from Roswell to visit customers at the Albuquerque Northeast Growers’ Market, the Nob Hill Growers’ Market, the Los Alamos Farmers’ Market, the Eldorado Farmers’ Market and Ardovino’s Farmers’ Market.
He literally (and figuratively) drove immediate sales, but he also did something else: He created demand for his product that hasn’t stopped. During the winter, customers can order from Ranchline directly via the company’s website, by email or by phone. Taylor will also continue to meet customers at winter markets, including the Los Alamos Holiday Market, which takes place 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at Fuller Lodge. There are several packaged specials you can find on the website, such as the “Grill Master’s Lamb Package” and “Home for Holidays.” Taylor also mentioned another brand new special: buy one leg of lamb, get one free. This offer is good through the end of the year. Ranchline is also offering free FedEx shipping on orders over $100 through the end of the year.
If you prefer to have your order personally delivered, Taylor said he usually travels to Albuquerque and Santa Fe several times a week and he can try to meet you at a designated pick up/drop off location. “We are very customer service-oriented, and if there is something we can do, including a product substitution in the specials, we try to do it,” Taylor said. Taylor, who runs the marketing, sales and inventory management, works alongside his brother, Paul. They are fifth-generation New Mexicans who grew up in the Roswell area, ranching on the family land in the Sacramento Mountains.
Taylor’s pride in what he does is evident. “We strive to be good stewards of our animals and have a high commitment to quality and humane treatment of all our livestock.”
The lambs receive absolutely no growth stimulants or added hormones, and they are raised on open ranges with natural grasses and humane husbandry practices.
Taylor said his personal favorite cut of lamb is probably their signature chops, but when it comes to a choice for the holidays, he didn’t hesitate: “leg of lamb, leg of lamb, leg of lamb.” Leg of lamb is not that difficult to prepare, especially if you employ a few simple, essential techniques.
⋄ Take the meat out of the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before cooking. You want the whole thing to be roughly the same temperature at the outset for even cooking.
⋄ Test the internal temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer, preferably with a large, digital readout. (If you are not using an instant-read digital thermometer, wait 10 to 15 seconds until the needle stops moving.) As the meat rests, carryover cooking will raise the internal temperature as much as 10 degrees, and after a reading of 110°F, the temperature rises rapidly.
⋄ After cooking, transfer the roast to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. This is critical. It allows all the juices to retreat back to the center of the meat. Apply these basics to your favorite recipe, and you can’t go wrong. I always go back to my favorite Julia Child recipe for leg of lamb with mustard coating, but there are many other great recipes out there, too.
Be sure to look for Taylor’s dashing white cooler at a growers’ market near you, or give him a call. You won’t be disappointed, nor will your holiday guests.
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Winter growers’ marketsVisit the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association on Facebook and FarmersMarketsNM.org for information.Corrales Growers’ Market, Recreation Center, 500 Jones Road & Corrales Road, south of the post office. Winter market December-April, first Sunday of each month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.Las Cruces Farmers’ & Crafts Market, Downtown Mall. Saturdays & Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., year-round.Los Alamos Farmers’ Market, Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave. Winter market January-April, second Thursday of each month, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., special holiday market Dec. 20, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.Los Ranchos Growers’ Market, tennis court parking lot at 6718 Rio Grande NW. Winter market December-April, second Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.-noon.Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, Farmers’ Market Pavilion, 1607 Paseo de Peralta. Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon.Socorro Farmers’ Market, at the Community Kitchen on Center Street between McCutcheon and Spring streets. Winter market November-February, Saturdays, 9-11 a.m.
Taos Pueblo – Red Willow Farmers’ Market, Veteran’s Highway, Taos Pueblo. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., year-round (indoors in winter). |
Moroccan MeatLoaf
Serves 6-8
2 pounds ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 tablepoons minced fresh ginger (3-inch piece)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups dried bread crumbs
2 small eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the lamb and beef in a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, paprika, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, cinnamon and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to release the flavors. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Stir the vegetables into the ground meat. Mix in the bread crumbs, eggs, cilantro and mint. Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart loaf pan and set in a baking pan. Pour water into the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 1/2 hours, or until firm and cooked through. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Un-mold onto a plate and slice. Serve with optional Pomegranate BBQ sauce, ketchup or just the drippings from the meatloaf itself.
Pomegranate BBQ Sauce
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to simmer on low heat and cook for 5 minutes just to let the flavors blend. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before serving. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
- Adapted from simplyrecipes.com
Butterflied Leg of Lamb, a la Julia Child
Serves 10-12 (Based on 6.5 pound leg)
4-6 pound butterflied leg of lamb
If you are using the following mustard coating, paint both sides of the meat and refrigerate the meat for at least an hour if possible – overnight is better. Reserve 2 tablespoons for the final cooking.
Broil-Roasting: Brown the lamb slowly under the broiler for 10 minutes on each side. (Ahead of time: After browning, you may let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour.)
Finishing the lamb – about 20 minutes at 375°F. When you are ready to finish it off, set the lamb skin side up and paint with the reserved mustard coating. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes in the upper third of the preheated oven.
When is it done? The lamb is done when the flesh has just achieved a springy texture to the pressure of your finger, in contrast to its squashy feel when raw. Red rare will be 125°F on your meat thermometer; medium pinky rare, 130°F. Remove the meat from the oven and let it sit 10 to 15 minutes before carving so the juices can retreat back in to the tissues.
Serving: To carve, cut into slanting slices across the grain – not as neat as for a bone-in leg, but carving is easy. Moisten each serving with accumulated pan juices.
COOK’S NOTE: A butterflied leg of lamb cooks in a third the usual time of a whole leg, and is a breeze to carve.
Mustard Coating and Marinade
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon fragrant ground rosemary, thyme or oregano
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil or peanut oil
Puree the garlic into a small bowl and mash to a paste with the salt. Whisk in the mustard, soy, herbs, lemon juice and then the oil slowly, still whisking, to make a mayonnaise-like cream.
- Adapted from Julia Child, “The Way to Cook”
Holidays stay local with lambWhere to find it
Visit the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association on Facebook and FarmersMarketsNM.org for information.Corrales Growers’ Market, Recreation Center, 500 Jones Road & Corrales Road, south of the post office. Winter market December-April, first Sunday of each month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Las Cruces Farmers’ & Crafts Market, Downtown Mall. Saturdays & Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., year-round.
Los Alamos Farmers’ Market, Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave. Winter market January-April, second Thursday of each month, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., special holiday market Dec. 20, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Los Ranchos Growers’ Market, tennis court parking lot at 6718 Rio Grande NW. Winter market December-April, second Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.-noon.
Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, Farmers’ Market Pavilion, 1607 Paseo de Peralta. Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon.
Socorro Farmers’ Market, at the Community Kitchen on Center Street between McCutcheon and Spring streets. Winter market November-February, Saturdays, 9-11 a.m.
Taos Pueblo – Red Willow Farmers’ Market, Veteran’s Highway, Taos Pueblo. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., year-round (indoors in winter).
Now it’s time to deck the halls, or at least the table, and roasted meat is still a great way to celebrate and feed a small crowd.Lamb is luxurious, festive and it can also be local. One terrific New Mexico purveyor of lamb is Ranchline All Natural of Roswell.
But before we talk about dressing up your holiday table with a lovely leg of lamb, meet Todd Taylor of Ranchline, whom I first encountered this summer at the Eldorado Farmers’ Market.
His display was sparse. A generic white cooler and a chalkboard with prices were on the table. A sign with the company name was overhead.
The jewels were inside the cooler: locally raised all-natural lamb from his family ranch, plus Certified Angus Beef from Ranchline’s partner ranch in Montana.
On countless Fridays, I’ve stopped by his table to talk and purchase different cuts of meat.
Now it is December, and as I recently pulled packages of ground lamb and ground beef from the freezer to make a tasty Moroccan meatloaf for dinner, I was grateful that Taylor decided to expand his marketing efforts by visiting farmers’ markets across the state.
Ranchline has been selling its naturally raised lamb to restaurants in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces and other locations for three years. Its largest customer is the La Fonda in Santa Fe, and it delivers as far south as Ardovino’s Desert Crossing restaurant in Sunland Park.
From the “lollipop” two-bite lamb chops, to regular chops, leg of lamb, ground lamb and stew meat, every cut of this locally raised lamb is outstanding.
“Meeting our customer base brings us closer to them and hearing how much they love the product gives us great feedback,” said Taylor.
Taylor drove relentlessly this summer traveling from Roswell to visit customers at the Albuquerque Northeast Growers’ Market, the Nob Hill Growers’ Market, the Los Alamos Farmers’ Market, the Eldorado Farmers’ Market and Ardovino’s Farmers’ Market.
He literally (and figuratively) drove immediate sales, but he also did something else: He created demand for his product that hasn’t stopped.
During the winter, customers can order from Ranchline directly via the company’s website, by email or by phone. Taylor will also continue to meet customers at winter markets, including the Los Alamos Holiday Market, which takes place 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at Fuller Lodge.
There are several packaged specials you can find on the website, such as the “Grill Master’s Lamb Package” and “Home for Holidays.” Taylor also mentioned another brand new special: buy one leg of lamb, get one free. This offer is good through the end of the year. Ranchline is also offering free FedEx shipping on orders over $100 through the end of the year.
If you prefer to have your order personally delivered, Taylor said he usually travels to Albuquerque and Santa Fe several times a week and he can try to meet you at a designated pick up/drop off location.
“We are very customer service-oriented, and if there is something we can do, including a product substitution in the specials, we try to do it,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who runs the marketing, sales and inventory management, works alongside his brother, Paul. They are fifth-generation New Mexicans who grew up in the Roswell area, ranching on the family land in the Sacramento Mountains.
Taylor’s pride in what he does is evident. “We strive to be good stewards of our animals and have a high commitment to quality and humane treatment of all our livestock.”
The lambs receive absolutely no growth stimulants or added hormones, and they are raised on open ranges with natural grasses and humane husbandry practices.
Taylor said his personal favorite cut of lamb is probably their signature chops, but when it comes to a choice for the holidays, he didn’t hesitate: “leg of lamb, leg of lamb, leg of lamb.”
Leg of lamb is not that difficult to prepare, especially if you employ a few simple, essential techniques.
⋄ Take the meat out of the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before cooking. You want the whole thing to be roughly the same temperature at the outset for even cooking.
⋄ Test the internal temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer, preferably with a large, digital readout. (If you are not using an instant-read digital thermometer, wait 10 to 15 seconds until the needle stops moving.) As the meat rests, carryover cooking will raise the internal temperature as much as 10 degrees, and after a reading of 110°F, the temperature rises rapidly.
⋄ After cooking, transfer the roast to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. This is critical. It allows all the juices to retreat back to the center of the meat.
Apply these basics to your favorite recipe, and you can’t go wrong. I always go back to my favorite Julia Child recipe for leg of lamb with mustard coating, but there are many other great recipes out there, too.
Be sure to look for Taylor’s dashing white cooler at a growers’ market near you, or give him a call. You won’t be disappointed, nor will your holiday guests.
Moroccan MeatLoaf
Serves 6-8
2 pounds ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 tablepoons minced fresh ginger (3-inch piece)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups dried bread crumbs
2 small eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the lamb and beef in a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, paprika, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, cinnamon and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to release the flavors. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Stir the vegetables into the ground meat. Mix in the bread crumbs, eggs, cilantro and mint. Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart loaf pan and set in a baking pan. Pour water into the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 1/2 hours, or until firm and cooked through. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Un-mold onto a plate and slice. Serve with optional Pomegranate BBQ sauce, ketchup or just the drippings from the meatloaf itself.
Pomegranate BBQ Sauce
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to simmer on low heat and cook for 5 minutes just to let the flavors blend. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before serving. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
- Adapted from simplyrecipes.com
Butterflied Leg of Lamb, a la Julia Child
Serves 10-12 (Based on 6.5 pound leg)
4-6 pound butterflied leg of lamb
If you are using the following mustard coating, paint both sides of the meat and refrigerate the meat for at least an hour if possible – overnight is better. Reserve 2 tablespoons for the final cooking.
Broil-Roasting: Brown the lamb slowly under the broiler for 10 minutes on each side. (Ahead of time: After browning, you may let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour.)
Finishing the lamb – about 20 minutes at 375°F. When you are ready to finish it off, set the lamb skin side up and paint with the reserved mustard coating. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes in the upper third of the preheated oven.
When is it done? The lamb is done when the flesh has just achieved a springy texture to the pressure of your finger, in contrast to its squashy feel when raw. Red rare will be 125°F on your meat thermometer; medium pinky rare, 130°F. Remove the meat from the oven and let it sit 10 to 15 minutes before carving so the juices can retreat back in to the tissues.
Serving: To carve, cut into slanting slices across the grain – not as neat as for a bone-in leg, but carving is easy. Moisten each serving with accumulated pan juices.
COOK’S NOTE: A butterflied leg of lamb cooks in a third the usual time of a whole leg, and is a breeze to carve.
