You might not find lamb loins at every supermarket, and who's seen a real butcher shop lately. But the stores that tend to be a bit more expensive and upscale will certainly offer lamb loins.

2 boneless lamb loins (about 3/4 lb each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup sesame seeds (3-1/2 oz)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp pure olive oil
Lavender balsamic vinaigrette

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the lamb lightly with the egg white and season with salt and pepper. On a dinner plate, toss the seeds with the flour and roll the lamb in the seeds until evenly and well coated.

Cook over moderately high heat in oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the lamb and cook about 2 minutes until the seed crust is browned all over.

Transfer the lamb to a baking sheet and roast for about 7 minutes for medium rare.

Carve each loin into 12 slices, and arrange 3 on each of 8 warmed dinner plates. Actually, this stuff is so good you have to call them "medallions", not slices.

Drizzle some balsamic vinaigrette around the lamb and serve at once.

I believe lamb and garlic go together beautifully. I believe the same about garlic and lemon. So this is guaranteed to be a beautiful dish, ain' so? (as they say in Green Bay)

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp dried oregano
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 (4-oz) lamb loin chops

Put everything but the chops into a zipper bag and smoosh it around to mix. Now add the chops and smoosh them around to cover.

Let the chops soak up all those good flavors for about 20 minutes then remove, toss the marinade and broil the chops for 4 or 5 minutes per side.

Here's a grill treat that could make a lamb fan out of almost anyone - there'll always be some who just don't want to know what's good.

2 lb boneless leg of lamb cut into large cubes
2 onions cut into chunks (same size as lamb)
1 tsp each dried rosemary & tarragon
1 Tbsp parsley leaves, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

Thread lamb cubes onto metal skewers alternately with onion squares.

Place brochettes in wide, shallow pan and sprinkle all over with rosemary, tarragon and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill over hot coals, until done as desired. Be sure to turn them often to brown evenly.

Fancy name, fancy meat, but still quick and very easy.

2 (2 lb) racks of lamb
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Rub the lamb all over with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Crush the rosemary between your palms and rub it all over, too.

With the broiler set high, place the lamb, fat side down, on a rack and place under the broiler about 4 inches from the source of heat. Cook 5 minutes then flip and return to the broiler for about 5 more minutes. Just before serving, rub the racks with butter and sprinkle with parsley. Oh, boy!

If you hear, “I’m not crazy about lamb”, from any of your eaters, confidently tell them not to worry, they’ll love this dish. Then, when it’s served, listen to them singing the praises of this under-appreciated meat.

Tbsp butter, softened
2 Tbsp orange marmalade
1/2 tsp dried marjoram or herbes de provence
4 shoulder lamb chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black and red pepper blend

Here’s your very fancy and very complete dinner in about 15 minutes. Well, maybe you want dessert, too. You know where to go for some terrific fast ones.

8 I-inch thick lamb loin chops
Salt and pepper
9-oz. pouch quick-cook long grain & wild rice
4 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, cut in I-inch pieces
1 Tbsp snipped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Season chops with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat, 12 to 14 minutes for medium-rare, flipping halfway through grilling. . Meanwhile, nuke the rice according to package directions.

In food processor combine tomatoes, green onions, and oregano; process with on/off turns until coarsely chopped. Transfer to bowl; stir in vinegar and add salt and pepper.

Arrange chops on rice; top with tomato mixture.

It's Moroccan lamb but you'll have an easier time finding an Indian food store for the special spices. That is, unless you happen to live in Morocco.

1 butternut squash (about 2 1/2 lb) peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise in quarters, then crosswise in 1/2-in.-thick slices (got all that?)
1 large red pepper, cut in 1/2-in.-wide strips, strips cut in half
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2-in. wedges, wedges cut in half
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Tandoori or Garam Masala spice blend
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
2-lb boneless top round lamb or leg of lamb, cut in 1-in. pieces
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 500ºF. Position racks to divide oven in thirds. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with nonstick foil.

Mix squash, pepper and onion in a large bowl. Combine garlic, spice blend, salt and oil in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp from the small bowl to the big bowl; toss to coat.

Spread evenly on 1 baking sheet. Place on high oven rack; roast 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put lamb in large bowl; add remaining spice mixture from the small bowl, toss it a bit and spread on other baking sheet.

Move vegetables to low rack; put meat on high rack. and roast 10 minutes, or until lamb is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Gently toss meat with the vegetables; sprinkle with cilantro and let the feasting begin.

Lamb and the crockpot (do you say, "slow cooker"?) were meant for each other. Unlike many beef cuts that fall apart when cooked a long time, lamb will tenderize but its tighter grain keeps it toghether. Try it, you'll see.

2-lb boneless lamb shoulder, cut in 1-in. pieces
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp each Greek herb seasoning, salt & pepper
1 can (19 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can (13oz) whole artichoke hearts , cut in half
3 cups baby spinach (3 oz)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
Topping: crumbled feta cheese

Mix lamb pieces, tomatoes, onion, garlic, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper in a 3 & 1/2-qt or larger slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until lamb is tender.

Before serving, mash 1 cup beans and stir the mashed beans, remaining whole beans, artichoke hearts and spinach into cooker. Cover and cook on high about 15 minutes until spinach wilts and mixture is hot.

Stir in lemon zest; sprinkle with feta and shout, “Ho-Paa!” (If you know the correct spelling let me know), it’s ready to serve.

I think I know what “comfort food” is – if I'm right this has to be a great example: a bunch of good things like pasta, tasty lamb, fresh veggies, a rich tomato sauce and some good red wine all heated together and topped with toasty nuts and cheese crumbles. Makes me comfort-able just reading the recipe – also hungry.

8 oz whole-wheat rigatoni
8 oz ground lamb
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed
3 cups diced eggplant
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 14-oz can low-sodium tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
3 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
2 tsp pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta about 8 minutes.

Use that 8 minutes to cook lamb, garlic and fennel seed in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon or a tato masher (and remember, "Breaking up is ((not)) hard to do"), until the lamb is browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Set pan aside.

Place eggplant and oil in another pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant browns, about 4 minutes. Add it to the beef, along with tomato sauce and wine; cooking and still stir occasionally, until the sauce starts to get thicker, about 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the oregano, salt and pepper – Ta Da!sauce is finished.

Back to the pasta, drain it, place it in a big pasta dish and pour the lamb & eggplant sauce over it. Give it a couple stirs, sprinkle on the pine nuts and feta, if using (and you should), and serve, at once, to your lucky eaters.

Here’s that leg of lamb in the crockpot I told you about. You might have to ask your butcher to bone it for you. If he agrees, press your luck and ask him to tie it for you.

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into cubes
1 tsp each salt & pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
zest of 1 lemon
Rosemary needles from four 3-inch sprigs
1 boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
2 Tbs olive oil
3 & 3/4 cup decent dry white wine

Mix the salt, garlic, lemon zest and rosemary together. and rub the mixture all over the lamb. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb evenly on all sides.

Meanwhile, line bottom of the pot with the potatoes and put the lamb on top of them. Pour in the wine and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours.

After you remove the lamb & potatoes add a ¼ cup of the water/flour mixture to the liquid in the pot to make a terrific gravy.

Smaller American towns and cities probably don't have a restaurant offering real gyros. Maybe they have those frozen slices which are pretty good but not like the real thing.

I have no quick & easy for "real" gyros but the lamb and tzatziki sauce combined in this recipe will, st least, remind you of it. Look for tzatziki sauce in the deli section of major supermarkets,or make it yourself; the recipe is below and you can make it while the burgers are grilling.

1 lb ground lamb
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp lemon
1 Tbsp onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp dried rosemary crushed
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
½ cup tzatziki sauce
4 hard rolls or pitas
Easy Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt 1 small cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
Mix ground lamb, mustard, lemon, onion, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Form into patties. Grill until no longer pink. Serve on buns with cucumbers, tomatoes and, of course, tzatziki.

This is another recipe that proves "less is more".

6 loin lamb chops
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt to Taste

Rub each side of the four chops with garlic and salt. Place them on your pre-heated grill and cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side. Pretty easy so far, eh? And it gets even easier!

Remove the chops from the grill and serve ‘em up.

Another crock pot recipe with a less expensive cut than the leg. When you taste the finished product you won't even remember it was sort of "inexpensive".

3 lb lamb shoulder, boned
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup canned beef broth
2 tsp dried oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Trim off excess lamb fat, open out shoulder and rub all over with some of the lemon juice, sprinkle with salt. pepper and 1/2 tsp of the oregano. Form into a roll and tie securely with string.

Rub outside of lamb with more lemon juice,salt pepper and oregano.

Place the meat into the crock pot with the rest of the lemon juice and the broth and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

When meat is done remove to a serving platter. Pour juices into a bowl and serve with rice, potatoes or use as a dip for crusty bread.

Less isn't always more. Those just-garlic chops were great but this one uses dill, mint & capers to create areally unique flavor as good as the simpler chop but different.

1 & 1/2 cups fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 cup fresh dill
1 cup fresh mint leaves
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup capers
1 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 lamb rib or sirloin chops, cut 1 inch thick
6 flatbread wedges or pita bread wedges, toasted
1/2 of a 6-oz pkg. baby spinach leaves

For sauce, in processor or mini chopper place parsley, dill, mint, oil, capers, mustard, and garlic. Cover; process until chopped. Place in a bowl and use about a quarter of it to brush on both sides of chops of the chops.

In a large skillet cook chops over medium heat for 9 or 10 minutes for medium, turning once. For each serving, place a wedge of flatbread on serving plate. Top with some of the spinach leaves, then a lamb chop. And finally spoon some of the remaining sauce over the lamb.

To grill: Prepare sauce and lamb chops as above. Place chops on rack over drip pan. Cover and grill to desired doneness: 16 to 18 minutes for medium rare or 18 to 20 for medium, flipping once.

To toast pita wedges: Place in single layer on cookie sheet and bakein 375 degree F oven 7 to 9 minutes or until toasted. Or place on grill rack directly over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, turning once.