The Recipe Box – Recipe 1.0: Greek Jalapeño Lamb Poppers

This is our first blog installment of 2017, and we’re excited to introduce a new series called The Recipe Box! Since a good portion of our business comes from the food industry, we’ve decided to use some of these great products to bring you recipes from our own kitchens (with original photography, too)! On Friday we kicked off with our first recipe of the year – Greek Jalapeño Lamb Poppers.

We hope you enjoy these tasty little appetizers, and stay tuned for more recipes to come!

Ingredients

• 1 pound New Zealand ground lamb (yields about 2 cups cooked)
• 1 teaspoon Member’s Mark by Tone’s Dried Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Member’s Mark by Tone’s Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Member’s Mark by Tone’s Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Member’s Mark by Tone’s Cayenne Powder
• 1 teaspoon Member’s Mark by Tone’s Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Member’s Mark by Tone’s Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion (optional)
• 12 jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
• 12 slices of bacon, cut in half lengthwise
• 24 toothpicks
• Cookie sheet with wire cooling rack on top (line cookie sheet with tinfoil for easy cleanup)

Directions

Heat skillet to medium high, add ground lamb and sprinkle all seasonings over meat. Cook meat until nicely browned, making sure to break up meat into small pieces. When done, spoon meat onto a plate covered with a paper towel to drain any excess fat.

Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to broil.

Mix together softened cream cheese, feta, onion, and cooked lamb. If mixture seems too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of milk.

Spoon mixture in to jalapeños, filling jalapeño slightly over half. (If you put in too much, the mix-ture will ooze over the sides while cooking.) Wrap with bacon and pierce with a toothpick. (Make sure to run toothpick through both sides of the jalapeño so they keep their shape when cooking.)

Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Broil for 5 minutes, rotate pan, and broil about 5 more minutes or until bacon is done. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

NOSTIMA!

Thanks to YellowDogs Brooke & Rick Meoli for their development and photography of this great recipe!