Some say that you can’t have too much of a good thing. This past week, I put that theory to the test as I tried 15 different lamb dishes at the annual Seattle Lamb Jam. Some of the city’s best chefs competed at the event and I was lucky enough to have a front row seat as a judge.
The sold out event by the American Lamb Board had more than 300 attendees who got to sample the globally inspired lamb dishes. Back in the judges’ room, we had a blind tasting of the dishes, which were grouped by category: Mediterranean, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Asian.
It was a lot of fun to see the creativity and cooking skill the chefs displayed with each dish. It was anything but your typical lamb burger or lamb with mint jelly. The chefs showed that lamb can be used in a variety of ways and that each cut of lamb had different flavors.
Chef Brian Miyamoto of Restaurant Zoe was awarded the first place spot in both “Best of Show” and “Best Mediterranean” categories. I was really impressed with his lamb belly dish, which had a delicata puree, beets, watercress, labneh and fried couscous. When you add that many elements to a dish, you risk taking away from the main ingredient. But Chef Miyamoto found the right balance and each element added to the overall experience, which is why it was my pick for the best dish of the night.
The dish that surprised me the most came from Chef Jennifer Izaguirre of Bell + Whete who won the Best Middle Eastern dish category. Her savory spiced lamb Khaliat Nahal was delicious and was perfect for a cold, rainy night. The doughy buns were stuffed with lamb and the saffron carrot goat yogurt was the perfect accompaniment.
While Chef Miyamoto’s lamb belly was a dish that I would expect to find at a high end restaurant, Chef Izaguirre’s dish was the perfect comfort food that you would make sure your out of town visitors got to enjoy.
It was really neat to see how all of the chefs offered a unique take. For example, I wouldn’t normally think of using lamb in an Asian dish, but Chef Garrett Doherty and Shane Robinson of Kraken Congee made an incredible Gochujang braised lamb shoulder congee.
As the big winner of the night, Chef Brian Miyamoto will take his lamb belly to the fall finale next year to compete for title of “Lamb Jam Master” alongside winners from upcoming Lamb Jams in Austin, Boston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
And if you are in the mood for some delicious lamb dishes at home, here are three dishes that are sure to delight your family.
– Sweet Potato-Poblano Lamb Chili
– Southeast Asian Lamb Skewers
– Slow-Cooker Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni
Thank you to the American Lamb Board for sponsoring the Seattle Lamb Jam and for inviting me to be one of this year’s judges. It was an incredible event that really showed the amazing talents of Seattle’s chefs.
