Monday, May 22, 2006
Lamb Steaks with Roast Root Vegetables
We had a visitor yesterday - my great great granduncle's great great grandson has just moved to
Dublin from Canada and came over to see us. I was quite excited to meet him not only because I love to meet new people. I don't have a very big family and as a result I feel close to anyone I'm even remotely related to. It was absolutely pouring down again today so we decided that it was probably best to meet in our place. I'd bought some lamb steaks for dinner that I marinated in olive oil with garlic, onions and fresh herbs. But then we found that he had never had Irish fish and chips. I couldn't let him move on without having sampled Ireland's national dish so, as soon as there was a break in the rain, I headed out to get food from Leo Burdock. I think he was a bit surprised to find that the cod came with the skin on, but in all he seemed to enjoy it.As a result Lofty and I had today's dinner nearly ready prepared. All I had to do was fry the steaks along with some mushrooms, roast some root vegetables and reheat the mustard sauce I had made to go with the pork chop. I also had some spinach that needed to go, so I cooked that too, but in all that was probably too much. With hindsight I can say that I should have skipped the mushrooms, but you're always smarter after you've made your mistakes.
For the lamb:I personally find pan-frying lamb quite difficult and when I do try it, I often get wrong. I'm still looking for a sure way of getting it tender every time. So feel free to leave me a comment if you have any ideas on the subject.
2 lamb steaks (alternatively 4 lamb chops)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, cut into wedges
3 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 tbsp mixed herbs (I used sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and bay leaves), roughly chopped
about 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
To serve:
roast root vegetables (today I used potatoes, taro, garlic and beet roots, but as I said in the initial recipe, anything goes here from parsnips to onions)
fried mushrooms
spinach
mustard sauce
In a medium sized bowl, mix the olive oil with the onion, garlic and the herbs. Add the lamb and coat well with the marinade. Season with the sea salt and set aside. Leave to marinate in a cool place for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
When the roast vegetables are almost done, heat a shallow frying pan over medium heat. You do not need to add any more oil, the marinade from the steaks is enough. Fry the lamb steaks in the pan until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until brown here and there while the inside is still lightly pink.
Christine at 9:56 pm
