Grilled Lamb Shoulder over Fresh Garlicky Tomatoes by Alison Roman

Lots of things went right, and a few things went wrong. That’s the most concise report I can give about making this dish. 

Things that went right… 

• The marinade for this lamb is so simple and so full of umami, that it really could be applied to any cut of lamb or steak. It’s just salt, pepper, olive oil, and anchovies. Alison asks for 12 anchovies (about the amount that comes in a Cento can from TJ’s), but I cut it down to 9. I’m always a bit cautious with my anchovy portions, in case they become too fishy. All 4 of us who ate the lamb gave the flavor two big thumbs up. 

• Fresh garlicky tomatoes are such a refreshing anecdote. Especially after the lamb juices had seeped into the meat. Not to mention their visual appeal. 

• I didn’t have access to a grill, so instead, we cooked the lamb in a large cast iron skillet on the stove. With the help of a digital meat thermometer, the searing and cooking were very straightforward, and took about 10 minutes total. 

• Pals! Who doesn’t love cooking with them! I did most of the ingredient prep at home, but brought it all over to Madeline and Sam’s home to do final prep and cooking. And I didn’t cook alone. Which warrants my second MAP moment! (MAP = Make Alison Proud)

  • In the introduction to nothing fancy, Alison states her three guiding principles for having people over for a meal. One of them is to ask for help. This has several benefits. Chief among them is it’s nice to have help! Especially when there are multiple dishes in the fire, and they all need tending to/plating at the same time. Sharing the work also helps your guests feel more invested in the meal. I don’t know about you, but I certainly take extra delight in meals that I’ve had a small hand in. Finally, collective cooking brings about a deeper sense of community. Which is why I asked all of the meal partakers to participate in the preparation. It tasted that much better because of it. 

Things that went wrong… 

• First of all (and this is my bad) I read the recipe a little too hastily before grocery shopping. I did not notice the call for boneless lamb shoulder. Instead, I picked up bone-in shoulder pieces at a Middle Eastern market near my home. I don’t think the bones made much of a difference, if any, but it did mean there was less meat to go around. 

• The quality of the meat itself was not great. It had a lot of fat and was too tough for my preference. I’m a lamb novice. It’s clear that I don’t know how to evaluate a good cut from a bad one. But I now know a few things to look for when shopping for lamb. 

I’d like to make this one again, but next time go for a more quality piece of meat and maybe try my hand at grilling. 

55 recipes cooked, 170 to go.

Crispy Vinegared Potatoes with Dried Chile by Alison Roman

Salt & vinegar chips are no doubt in my top 5 favorite foods, and this recipe is the closest I may ever get to a homemade version. 

The idea is quite simple: thinly sliced potatoes tossed in oil, vinegar, and spices, then laid on baking sheets to roast in the oven until crispy. For a dish this spectacularly straightforward, I’ll just provide a few anecdotes that speak to my cooking and eating experience, and how I’ll improve them next time (there will be many next times). 

I believe that not all potatoes are created equal. Moisture level, skin texture, circumference, starch levels -- all of these factors can have an impact on the cooking temp and time in a recipe. Therefore, it’s important to follow Alison’s specification for Yukon Gold potatoes, which can be found in most grocery stores. 

Alison says to aim for 1/4th inch when it comes to slicing the potatoes, but I disagree. My slices were a bit all over the place - ranging from 1/4th inch to less than 1/8th. The thinnest slices became a little too burnt (we still ate them, but not ideal). The 1/4th inch slices were a little too soft and under-crisped. I noticed they were the last potatoes to be taken off of the baking sheet, so clearly I’m not alone. It was the 1/8th inch slices that were gone first - perfectly crunchy and crispy. They made Sam ask for the recipe after eating his first one. 

Like in so many of her recipes, Alison’s combination of smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and garlic is dynamite here. The heat of the spices is perfectly counterbalanced with the acidity of the vinegar. 

Finally, this recipe warranted what I’m calling a “Make Alison Proud” moment. Sometimes I imagine Alison observing me while I cook or host dinner parties, kind of like a teacher, kind of like a cool friend. Every once in a while she gives me a thumbs up or a look that says “are you sure you want to do that?” Here was my MAP moment for the day: 

I intended for these potatoes to serve as a side dish for J’s birthday dinner (served with Slow Salmon, Garlicky Broccoli, & Butter-Tossed Radishes). When our guests arrived, everything was ready to eat, except for the salmon. I should have guessed that Slow Salmon would cook slowly. We stood in a semicircle around our oven waiting for the fish to be ready. On top of the stove sat these crispy vinegared potatoes on their baking sheets, still barely sizzling in their oil and newly topped with fresh parsley and chives. My stomach growled and I found myself staring at the potatoes as the minutes creeped by. Eventually I noticed that everyone was staring at them, too. Then it occurred to me, why not serve them as an appetizer instead? In a split second pivot, I handed out tiny bowls and told everyone to dig in. We ate all of the potatoes in 10 minutes, holding and biting into them like real potato chips as we stood in the kitchen. The whole experience was quite delightful, though not my original intention. I felt like Alison, being the “nothing fancy” host that she is, would have smiled and approved of this move. 

13 recipes cooked, 212 recipes to go.