LAMB'S LETTUCE RECIPES

Steps:

• Cut bacon in half crosswise. Wrap each prune with bacon and secure with a toothpick. Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan. Add bacon-wrapped prunes and brown on all sides until crispy. Remove prunes from the pan and keep warm. Deglaze pan drippings with vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Pick over the lamb's lettuce, trim, rinse and spin dry. Peel the onions and cut into rings. Rinse pears, cut into quarters, remove seeds and cut into wedges.
• Arrange lamb's lettuce, onions, pears and prunes on plates. Drizzle with the warm dressing and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Rinse lamb chops, pat dry, and season with 1 tsp. salt and the pepper. In a bowl, combine garlic, zest, oregano, and 1 tbsp. oil. Rub mixture onto both sides of chops.
• Put potatoes in a medium pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook potatoes until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, whisk together mustard, shallot, lemon juice, and vinegar in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining 3 tbsp. olive oil until dressing is emulsified.
• Preheat broiler to high. Arrange chops on broiler pan and set it 2 in. from heating element. Broil chops, turning once, until browned and medium-rare inside (cut to test), 8 to 10 minutes.
• Put lamb's lettuce in a salad bowl and add warm potatoes. Drizzle 3/4 of dressing over salad and toss to coat. Divide salad among plates and top each serving with two chops. Spoon on remaining dressing.
• Grass-fed lamb: Why buy?
• Meat raised on grass is showing up more often in grocery stores. It's often expensive, so what makes it worth trying?
• Healthy animals. Grass is the natural food of cattle, bison, sheep (and lambs); when allowed to munch on pasture, they're eating the way nature intended.
• Healthy us. Grass-fed (versus standard grain-fed) meat has higher levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, and is usually lower in fat.
• Great for the land. Grazing animals fertilize the pastures as they roam.
• Great taste. The flavor is often cleaner and more complex than that of grain-fed meat.
• Our favorite is certified organic meat from Idaho's Lava Lake Lamb (lavalakelamb.com or 208/788-9778), whose animals are raised on thousands of acres near Sun Valley. Lava Lake offers everything from chops to petite lamb roasts, just the right size for two to four people.
• Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.