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Call it lean, call it versatile, call it the forgotten red meat.

Or, just call it lamb.

Lamb still suffers from a ba-a-a-ad rap in some circles for a perceived gaminess, but that flavor seems less prevalent than it once was, and the perception may have come from your mother's time-honored recipe that called for cooking lamb to shoe-level toughness. If so, it may be time to rediscover lamb's attributes, especially this time of year, when the word "spring" pairs well with "lamb."

Shoppers and diners can find lamb from many producers in all parts of the globe, from New Zealand to Iceland, and from Australia to Ohio. The Buckeye State's agriculture officials estimate Ohio's 2007 lamb crop at 117,000 head, or about 3 percent of the nation's total.

Here are some recipes and important facts that bring out the best in lamb.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2258 or mfisher

@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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Roast Lamb With Monsieur Henny's Potato, Onion and Tomato Gratin

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Adapted from: Bistro Cooking, by Patricia Wells (1989, Workman Publishing)

Note: Author Patricia Wells calls this dish "simple and satisfying" — and boy, is she right! As it cooks, the lamb's juices (and, yes, fat) mingle with the vegetables, creating a certain alchemy that elevates the dish. Make sure to season the meat well with salt and pepper — that will help flavor the gratin. By the way, the recipe calls for turning and basting the lamb every 15 minutes, but I've omitted that labor-intensive step and still achieved great results.

Ingredients:

5 garlic cloves, chopped

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 large onions, very thinly sliced

5 medium tomatoes, (about 1 pound), cored and thinly sliced

2/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 leg of lamb, bone-in, 6 to 7 pounds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub bottom of large oval porcelain gratin dish, about 16-by-10-by-2 inches. Arrange potatoes in single layer. Season generously with salt, pepper, some of the thyme and chopped garlic. Layer sliced onions on top; season as with the potatoes. Layer tomatoes on top of onions. Season with salt, pepper and remaining thyme and garlic. Pour on white wine, and then drizzle with the olive oil.

Trim thicker portions of fat from leg of lamb. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place sturdy cake rack or oven rack directly on top of gratin dish. Set lamb on rack so that juices will drip into gratin. Roast, uncovered, in 400-degree oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes for rare lamb. (For well-done lamb, roast an additional 30 to 40 minutes.) Turn lamb every 15 minutes, basting it with liquid from dish underneath. Remove from oven and let the lamb rest for 20 minutes before carving.

To serve: Carve lamb into thin slices and arrange on warmed dinner plates or serving platter with vegetable gratin alongside.

Lamb Shish Kebab

I have adapted this recipe from a yellowed, aging photocopy of a page from a book on Greek recipes, but I have no idea the name of the book. The dish is also called Arni Souvlakia, or lamb on a skewer. The wine and lemon juice marinade tenderizes the leg of lamb cubes nicely, and obliterates any hint of gaminess.

Ingredients

3/4 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium onion, minced or chopped fine

1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed

Bay leaf

3 pounds leg of lamb, boneless, cut in 1½-inch cubes

Vegetables of your choice for shish kebab: green, red or yellow peppers cut into squares; mushroom caps, cherry tomatoes, sliced zucchini, baby onions

Make marinade of wine, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, oregano and bay leaf in a large bowl and add lamb cubes. Cover and refrigerate about 6 hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade and place on skewers, alternating with vegetables. Broil about 15-20 minutes, turning once or twice, or barbecue over hot coals.

Rack of Lamb With Walnut Crust

With the price of rack of lamb, this cut has certainly become a special occasion treat. Here's one recipe that treats rack of lamb like royalty. It comes from the Food Network's "Calling All Cooks," and is courtesy of Larry Reilley. Note: Cooking times are approximate and vary according to the size of the lamb — the 20 minutes this recipe calls for may result in very rare lamb. Use a meat thermometer or plan on taking a sneak peak to check for doneness, but remember the meat will continue to cook after being removed from the oven.

Ingredients

2 racks of lamb (French boned)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt

Ground white pepper

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1 cup whole walnuts

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cloves of minced garlic

To prepare the racks of lamb: Heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan over high heat. Season the racks of lamb with salt and pepper. Sear the racks on all sides until nicely browned. Remove racks to a platter and allow to cool enough to handle. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

To make the walnut crust: Put dried rosemary into a food processor and pulse several times to grind. Add walnuts, ¼ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of white pepper, and garlic powder. Pulse several times until mixture is the consistency of bread crumbs. Pour mixture onto a large dinner plate or a platter.

To make the mustard mixture: In a dish, combine the egg, mustard and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Mix well with a fork until egg and mustard are completely incorporated.

To coat the racks of lamb: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Once the racks are seared and cool enough to handle, place 1 rack in the mustard mixture and coat all sides. Next, place the coated rack into the walnut mixture and coat well. Using your hand, press the walnut mixture firmly onto the coated rack. Transfer rack to the baking sheet. Repeat steps for each rack.

To cook: Place the racks of lamb into the oven and roast for 20 minutes for medium rare. I use a temperature probe in one of the racks, and remove meat from oven when it registers between 125 to 130 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

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Lamb facts and tips

Lamb is meat from a young sheep — an animal less than 1 year old. Most are brought to market at about 6 to 8 months old.

There are five major cuts of lamb available: shoulder, rack, shank, loin and leg.

A 3-ounce serving of lamb has 175 calories and meets the FDA definition for "lean."

Dry-heat cooking methods such as grilling, roasting or broiling are suitable for chops, roasts, steaks and legs. Moist-heat methods such as braising and stewing are suitable for cuts such as shoulder stew meat and lamb shanks.

Sources: American Lamb Board,

Tri-Lamb Group.