Celebrate National Lamb Day With These Recipes

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Lamb rump roast with tender greens and hollandaise sauce. Picture / Supplied

When it comes to classic Kiwi food, a feast of tender and flavoursome lamb is right up there alongside pavlova and Pineapple Lumps. That's why we're fully in support of a celebratory day acknowledging the importance of this splendid meat. February 15 is National Lamb Day, which marks the 135th anniversary of the day the first shipment of frozen sheep meat from Port Chalmers, Dunedin, departed for London, an auspicious day in our nation's history. We suggest planning a lamb dinner immediately, think chops on the barbecue, cutlets in the pan, slow-cooked lamb shanks or a succulent roast dinner whatever you choose, you can't go wrong. The experts from Beef and Lamb New Zealand recommend the following tips:

  • Choose the best cut of lamb for the cooking method, this makes a big difference – you can find more information on this here. 
  • Always ensure your lamb is at room temperature before cooking.
  • Oil the lamb, rather than the pan before cooking.
  • Always leave your lamb to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Here are a couple of recipes to try, for more go

.

LAMB RUMP ROAST WITH TENDER GREENS AND HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
Serves 4. Preparation time: 25 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
3x Quality Mark lamb rumps

Stuffing
1 handful baby spinach leaves
75g creamy feta

Hollandaise sauce
200g unsalted butter
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 whole black peppercorns
3 egg yolks
Juice of ½ lemon

To serve
Fresh cut herbs such as parsley, chives, chervil

METHOD

Lamb
1.
Make a cut in the side of each lamb rump to make a pocket. Mix together the spinach and feta and season. Fill into each lamb rump and skewer to hold mixture in place, if necessary.

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place lamb fat-side-down in the hot pan and brown. Turn and brown the other side.

3. Remove hot tray from the oven and place in the lamb fat-side-up. Return to the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes for pink lamb.  Remove from the oven, cover with foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Hollandaise Sauce
1.
Melt the butter and allow to cool a little.

2. Place the vinegar, peppercorns and a dash of water in a small saucepan and reduce to 1 tablespoon.

3. Place the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Strain in the 1 tablespoon of reduced liquid (to remove peppercorns). Whisk until thick and foamy, then whisk in the butter a little at a time until you have a thick creamy sauce. Add lemon juice to taste and season.

To serve
1.
Serve lamb with seasonal greens (asparagus is great while still in season), and hollandaise sauce. Top with freshly cuts herbs. Boiled new season potatoes are delicious too.

LAMB CUTLETS WITH QUINOA CRUST
Serves: 4. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 5-6 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
12 Quality Mark lamb cutlets, well trimmed

Quinoa crust
¾ cup cooked white quinoa
¾ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
½ Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp garlic powder or lemon seasoning, optional
Milk to moisten

Basil pesto
1 cup well-packed basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the grill until hot or if you want to cook in the oven, preheat to 220C. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper. Place cutlets on baking tray, crust side up and drizzle with a little oil. Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning once.

2. Basil pesto: Place basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts and oil in a small food processor and process to a rough paste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then stir through the parmesan cheese. Place in a small bowl, cover well and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Quinoa crust: Place all ingredients except milk in a bowl and mix. Pour in enough milk to just moisten. Press crust on to one side of each lamb cutlet, place on an oiled grilling tray, crust side down. Place under hot grill and grill for 2 minutes. Remove from grill, turn cutlets over, drizzle with a dash of oil and return to the grill for a further 3-4 minutes.

4. To serve: Serve lamb cutlets with basil pesto and a fresh summer salad or barbecued summer vegetables.

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