Spit-fired Lamb, or Hungry Sam Meets Mike Isabella

I have a bit of a backlog of meals to write up, I admit. Before I do, however, I want to briefly share an excellent encounter with (a) roasted lamb. Oh, and with Mike Isabella, the Top Chef contestant, who happened to have made this tasty surprise snack.

I'm really into snacks. That's one reason I frequent farmer's markets -- samples are a form of free snack. There may be no free lunch, but there are free snacks.

So JHK and I were wandering the Dupont Farmer's Market, buying bourbon apple barbecue sauce and wishing there were more free snacks, preferably of ripe peach (soon!). As we rounded a corner, we saw something turning on a spit over coals. Definitely a whole roasting lamb. I knew I was in the right place.

This was confirmed when moments later I realized that by getting in line, I could have some.

Woah. Best. Sample. Ever.

Hopped in line and saw this sign. Bells rang dimly in the murky background of my mind -- Mike Isabella...Zaytinya...I'd heard these names. It wasn't, however, until a passerby mentioned "Top Chef" that it clicked.

I'd heard tell of the wonder, the glory of Zaytinya, the nationally-renowned D.C. area Greek/Mediterranean restaurant made even more famous by the participation of its executive chef in the popular competitive cooking show, Top Chef. Come to think of it, I think I may have even seen some of that season. I don't watch much TV, but given my well-documented interest in cooking as competition, I have a natural attraction to this sort of thing.

Anyways, at the top of the line an assistant handed me a small plate filled with steaming, savory chopped lamb. I made eye contact with Chef Isabella and said, "Looks good." He said, "Hope it tastes good too." Conversation with a famous guy -- check.

Well, Mr. Isabella, I applaud you. Perfectly tender, erupting with flavor, the seasoned lamb was topped with just the right amount of lemony butter and fresh dill, the tanginess of which offset the rich meat. It was a superb combination of flavors, such that the tongue itself seemed to be aware that these flavors were both meant to be (wonderfully and quintessentially Greek) as well as revolutionary. I got a little piece of outer meat, too, which had crisped and darkened in the heat of the fire and had some of the salt-and-pepper rub still clinging to the outside. It was streaked liberally with fat as only a wonderful cut of lamb can be; an hour after breakfast, it was the perfect free snack. Here she is:

Wow. I wish I could have captured it better; as JHK can attest, I was too excited by the goings-on to snap more photos before I finished eating. I almost forgot, but thinking only of my loyal readers, I went back to the cooking tent, quickly introduced myself and Hungry Sam to Chef Isabella, and asked if he would pose for you all.

Here is Mike, winner of the first annual Hungry Sam Memorial Award for Excellence in Improving Hungry Sam's Day Through the Application of Delicious Lamb:

Well done, Mike. Well done.