Roast Lamb, With Flowers
I hate gardening the way Donald Trump hates being president. He knows what he has to do, but I hates doing it and avoids it as much as possible.
But I like the way the house looks when it's surrounded by flowers. What to do, what to do? Why, pay someone else to do it!
So every year after the fear of frost lifts, I go out and buy a carload of hanging baskets to put outside. The front porch, which becomes my office in the summer, always gets done up first. The main challenge is that the front porch faces north. This makes it cool and shady for summertime writing, but it's hell on plants.
Today, I drove around town, searching through various garden spots. Prices have gone up since last year, by about $3 per basket! I found deep red impatiens at one place, and some gold ones in another. Impatiens are good in the shade, so I bought a whole bunch.
I also stopped at the local butcher shop. It's an old-fashioned meat shop with three different counters, a deli, and a grocery section dedicated to helping you cook meat. The place is always packed, and I was glad I got in there before noon, when the traffic really picks up. As it was, there was barely any floor space. "Only" six people were in line ahead of me, and the counter workers were rushing about, gathering meat, weighing it, and tearing butcher paper to wrap it all in.
I spent my waiting time deciding what I wanted. In the lamb section, I noticed a boneless roast that had been cut in half. Perfect! A full roast is too much for our little household, but butchers are always reluctant to chop up roasts. Someone had gotten here first and done the persuasion for me. When my turn came, I snapped it up.
Back home, I hung the baskets on the front porch and pulled off the price tags. Ta da! Nice, garden-y feel in my summer office with minimal actual gardening.
In the kitchen, I scored the lamb and smeared it with a combination of minced garlic, kosher salt, and olive oil, then put it into the oven while Darwin and I went for a little walk in the delightful spring air. Lilacs!
We got back, and the roast was nearly done. I threw together a rice-tomato pilaf and a spring fruit salad of strawberries and bananas. The lamb came out crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a hint of garlic in the meat. Delicious!
comments
But I like the way the house looks when it's surrounded by flowers. What to do, what to do? Why, pay someone else to do it!
So every year after the fear of frost lifts, I go out and buy a carload of hanging baskets to put outside. The front porch, which becomes my office in the summer, always gets done up first. The main challenge is that the front porch faces north. This makes it cool and shady for summertime writing, but it's hell on plants.
Today, I drove around town, searching through various garden spots. Prices have gone up since last year, by about $3 per basket! I found deep red impatiens at one place, and some gold ones in another. Impatiens are good in the shade, so I bought a whole bunch.
I also stopped at the local butcher shop. It's an old-fashioned meat shop with three different counters, a deli, and a grocery section dedicated to helping you cook meat. The place is always packed, and I was glad I got in there before noon, when the traffic really picks up. As it was, there was barely any floor space. "Only" six people were in line ahead of me, and the counter workers were rushing about, gathering meat, weighing it, and tearing butcher paper to wrap it all in.
I spent my waiting time deciding what I wanted. In the lamb section, I noticed a boneless roast that had been cut in half. Perfect! A full roast is too much for our little household, but butchers are always reluctant to chop up roasts. Someone had gotten here first and done the persuasion for me. When my turn came, I snapped it up.
Back home, I hung the baskets on the front porch and pulled off the price tags. Ta da! Nice, garden-y feel in my summer office with minimal actual gardening.
In the kitchen, I scored the lamb and smeared it with a combination of minced garlic, kosher salt, and olive oil, then put it into the oven while Darwin and I went for a little walk in the delightful spring air. Lilacs!
We got back, and the roast was nearly done. I threw together a rice-tomato pilaf and a spring fruit salad of strawberries and bananas. The lamb came out crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a hint of garlic in the meat. Delicious!
comments
No comments have been added yet.
