Ok, I know that this will sound weird, but the theme of this month’s Cupcake Hero contest is mint. I thought, what goes with mint? Knowing that everyone involved will probably do something chocolate, I decided to go a very different route–what goes with mint? Lamb!

This was initially a very experimental cupcake–I had no idea how it would turn out and was just hoping they’d be edible. Imagine my surprise when they were not only edible, but really really good! Of course, with what is essentially lamb wrapped in shortcake and creme fraiche on top, how can you go wrong? Some people may say that cupcakes can’t be savory, but I say, look at this and tell me it’s not a cupcake:

Recipe (makes about 10 cupcakes):

Filling:

- 3/4 lb. ground lamb
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions have gone fairly clear, about 5 minutes. Add lamb and brown. Remove from heat and mix in the chopped mint. Allow to cool to room temperature. (as a side note, this will make rather more filling than you need for one batch of cupcakes)

Cake:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2/3 cup milk
- Creme fraiche for topping

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening into the dry ingredients, do not over-mix. Mix in egg so the dough starts to come together. Gradually add milk. You may not need to use quite all of it. Add the milk until the dough appears to be workable by hand.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line cupcake pan with wrappers.

Take a chunk of dough and roll it into a ball about 2″ in diameter or so. Flatten slightly, and place in a cupcake wrapper. Insert fingers into the middle of the ball and spread the dough up the sides of the cupcake wrapper. These will poof up a little while cooking, so don’t worry if it doesn’t go all the way to the top (the one pictured is maybe a little over-filled):

Put enough lamb filling into the cup to fill to the top:

Roll another smaller ball of dough about 1″ across and flatten into a circle. Place on top of the filled cups and press the edges down just inside the wrapper to seal the dough.

Bake in a 450 oven for about 10 minutes, or until the tops turn a golden brown. Watch towards the end to get the timing right.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for around 10-15 minutes before serving. You’ll want them to be hot, but not too hot. Frost the cupcakes with a layer of creme fraiche just before serving. For even mintier cupcakes, you could mix more finely diced mint in with the creme fraiche as well.

Enjoy!