Warm Spiced Lamb Salad
It’s really difficult to cut down on carbs. I should know, I struggle with it everyday! Planning for our weekly meals is always a challenge for I always try to have days without carbs. It’s easy to just have a stir-fry with rice, or a quick pasta dish, perhaps a tasty pie or a roast with baked potatoes. However it’s tricky when I have to make sure my hungry hubby is full and satisfied when I plan for non-carb meals.
This particular warm salad was quite the winner for me. No carbs were involved in this gig.
I found a good deal on lamb neck fillets at the store. Never cooked lamb neck fillets before but I found the fillets to be surprisingly tender and lean and they were not as expensive as lamb chops or loin.
On a sheet of parchment paper, I sprinkled thyme, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, salt and pepper (no particular amounts here, just use your discretion) and then rolled and coated each fillet with the spice combination. This method is also known as a dry rub which is generally like a marinade but without the liquids. Very easy and very effective especially when you’re grilling or pan-frying the meat.
Now, the salad. I find the best way to toss a salad is to do it with my fingers (Jamie Oliver styleee) in a large serving bowl like the one here. (Thanks Alsops for my beautiful serving bowl!) I drizzled a good amount of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Just follow the rules of one part acid to two parts oil. Simple right?
Once the lamb is cooked, lay it aside to rest for a few minutes while you put the salad together. No rules here – add any crunchy, fresh salad leaves and veggies. I had a large pack of pre-washed crunchy salad leaves (straight off the supermarket shelf), a generous sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and sliced up some radishes and juicy tomatoes. Throw it all in the dressing and toss right before serving. Add the now ultra juicy, rested sliced lamb fillets and dinner is served!
I love simple meals and it’s carb-free and yummy. Yay me!
Roast leg of lamb with anchovies
My best roasted lamb leg ever...
Yeah I thought the combination was a little weird too. Glad I gave it a shot and it was one of the best lamb roast I’ve ever cooked. Very easy to prepare…I squeezed the juice of one lemon over the legs, pierced several holes into the fleshy areas, chopped up rosemary, garlic and anchovies and stuffed them into the holes, rubbed olive oil all over, seasoned with salt and pepper and that was it. Preparation done.
The key to roasting lamb is to make sure you don’t overcook the thing. According to Jamie Oliver (yeah, you can trust him), it takes 20 minutes per 450g plus an additional 20 mins at 200 deg celsius. Came out perfectly. The roast was cooked through but still juicy and tender. The salty anchovies melted into the lamb, giving it an added depth of flavour.
Juicy and tender
I used the juices from the roasting tray to make the gravy, simply adding water and flour – the juices and oils from the lamb was so flavourful I didn’t have to do anything else to it. Just 45 minutes before the lamb was done, I chucked some parsnips and butternut squash (tossed in olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper) into the the oven resulting in a very hearty and delish home roast.
The sidekicks
Slurp...
The leftovers from this meal made us some really amazing lamb souvlakis the next day – complete with store-bought tzatziki. It’s a meal that keeps on giving!
