Puy lentils mixed with some little extras to maximise flavour and served with a perfectly pan-fried lamb chop; no spices, no tricks, just good honest lamb flavour. On the side, the intense sweet flavour of roasted carrots pairs perfectly with the inherently sweet meat of the lamb; a casual toss of fresh mint ties them together with a familiar note. Pile on the soft savoury lentils and you've got something a bit laid back but also totally styling; a bit like us really.
First, you must bring your lamb steak to room temperature. Why? Because when a cold lamb steak hits a hot pan it will lower the temperature of the pan and you will end up with tough meat. Also, with a cold lamb steak, the heat will take longer to penetrate and therefore cook less evenly. Thirdly, too cold to too hot will cause the muscle fibres to bunch up in shock and be far less tender on the palate. Learning the details of meat cookery that make all the difference will see your confidence in the kitchen soar.
Next, pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and toss the carrots in a touch of oil and season generously with salt. Put them in a shallow baking dish and roast for about 30 minutes until they are slightly golden and soft but not mushy.
Now, whilst the carrots cook, heat a frying pan over a medium setting and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add the aubergines and fry gently, stirring all the while, until they are soft and golden. Aubergines soak up a lot of oil; it is absolutely necessary to bring out their best. If you don't like aubergine it is most likely to be down to badly cooked ill-advised concoctions; in this dish, they just bring little bursts of sensuous texture. Trust us, it's all good.
Add a tiny pinch of lovely flaked sea salt, crush in the garlic, fry for just 30 seconds so that the garlic doesn't burn and turn bitter, and remove from the pan.
Once the carrots are almost cooked, then you are ready to cook the lamb and assemble the dish. So much in cookery is about actual assembly; a few techniques and flavours brought together. So if an ingredients list looks long, or a recipe complex, read it through; it may be far simpler than it first looks.
Bring back the pan that you cooked the aubergines in. Rub the meat with a drop of oil and bring the pan up to a high heat; check how hot it is by holding a flat hand above it. Toss a pinch of salt into the pan and add the lamb. Don't touch it; just let it cook for 3 minutes. Turn in over and give it another 3. That will give you medium lamb; juicy and moist but no pink. For rare, then cut the time down by a minute per side. Don't go further than medium.
What's the deal with the salt? Salt extracts moisture. Moisture on the surface of meat causes boiling rather than browning so you get grey tough meat. Salt the pan and you get seasoning AND a good dry sear. This doesn’t apply to long slow marinades or long slow cooking.
When the time is up, put the meat on a warm plate to rest and keep the pan on the heat. Don't forget your carrots.
Add the tomato, parsley, aubergines and lentils to the pan. Stir through to heat and check your seasoning. Add in any meat juices from the resting lamb.
Serve casual style in big bowls; lamb, carrots and lentils spooned over the top. It's a great little dish; here at West Coast Foods it is our aim to make good quality food available to everyone.
Our Scotch lamb comes in packs of four, to a weight of 400g. To make this recipe for four people simply double the recipe quantity; to proceed for two people then you can just freeze two of your lamb steaks. You really do not need a huge portion of meat with the lentils too.
Ingredients
Directions
First, you must bring your lamb steak to room temperature. Why? Because when a cold lamb steak hits a hot pan it will lower the temperature of the pan and you will end up with tough meat. Also, with a cold lamb steak, the heat will take longer to penetrate and therefore cook less evenly. Thirdly, too cold to too hot will cause the muscle fibres to bunch up in shock and be far less tender on the palate. Learning the details of meat cookery that make all the difference will see your confidence in the kitchen soar.
Next, pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and toss the carrots in a touch of oil and season generously with salt. Put them in a shallow baking dish and roast for about 30 minutes until they are slightly golden and soft but not mushy.
Now, whilst the carrots cook, heat a frying pan over a medium setting and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add the aubergines and fry gently, stirring all the while, until they are soft and golden. Aubergines soak up a lot of oil; it is absolutely necessary to bring out their best. If you don't like aubergine it is most likely to be down to badly cooked ill-advised concoctions; in this dish, they just bring little bursts of sensuous texture. Trust us, it's all good.
Add a tiny pinch of lovely flaked sea salt, crush in the garlic, fry for just 30 seconds so that the garlic doesn't burn and turn bitter, and remove from the pan.
Once the carrots are almost cooked, then you are ready to cook the lamb and assemble the dish. So much in cookery is about actual assembly; a few techniques and flavours brought together. So if an ingredients list looks long, or a recipe complex, read it through; it may be far simpler than it first looks.
Bring back the pan that you cooked the aubergines in. Rub the meat with a drop of oil and bring the pan up to a high heat; check how hot it is by holding a flat hand above it. Toss a pinch of salt into the pan and add the lamb. Don't touch it; just let it cook for 3 minutes. Turn in over and give it another 3. That will give you medium lamb; juicy and moist but no pink. For rare, then cut the time down by a minute per side. Don't go further than medium.
What's the deal with the salt? Salt extracts moisture. Moisture on the surface of meat causes boiling rather than browning so you get grey tough meat. Salt the pan and you get seasoning AND a good dry sear. This doesn’t apply to long slow marinades or long slow cooking.
When the time is up, put the meat on a warm plate to rest and keep the pan on the heat. Don't forget your carrots.
Add the tomato, parsley, aubergines and lentils to the pan. Stir through to heat and check your seasoning. Add in any meat juices from the resting lamb.
Serve casual style in big bowls; lamb, carrots and lentils spooned over the top. It's a great little dish; here at West Coast Foods it is our aim to make good quality food available to everyone.
Our Scotch lamb comes in packs of four, to a weight of 400g. To make this recipe for four people simply double the recipe quantity; to proceed for two people then you can just freeze two of your lamb steaks. You really do not need a huge portion of meat with the lentils too.
