I
love Irish stew, but sometimes I want another recipe for lamb. I’ve probably
complained here before that the only lamb I can find in my supermarket comes
all the way from Australia, so I’m paying airfare for it, which seems
ridiculous, but it survives the trip well.
This
past weekend there were lovely cuts of (yes, Australian) lamb on sale at the market. I’d made
Irish stew recently, so I went hunting for a new and different recipe. What I found
was an Irish lamb recipe involving lamb, bacon, cabbage, mushrooms and wine, It
turned out to be a perfect flavorful winter dish.
Roast
Lamb Fillet with Cabbage and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1
lb. lamb, trimmed of fat (one large single piece)
Vegetable
oil for frying
1
small green cabbage, finely shredded (I had half a purple cabbage lurking in
the fridge, so I used that, and shredded it in my food processor)
4
Tblsp butter
4
oz. unsmoked bacon, diced
6
oz wild mushrooms (whatever variety is available), sliced if large
2
oz. red wine (I had a nice bottle of Cabernet)
2
Tblsp port (optional)
Salt
and pepper
Instructions:
Cut
the meat into pieces weighing about one quarter pound each. Season with salt and
pepper.
Heat
the oil in a small metal roasting pan and sear the lamb until it is sealed on
all sides (do not overcook).
Preheat
the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the lamb in its pan in the oven and roast for
10-12 minutes (if you like your lamb medium-rare) or longer. Remove the pan
from the oven and keep warm.
While
the lamb is cooking, boil the shredded cabbage until tender (about five
minutes). Add 2 Tblsp of butter, salt and pepper, toss and keep warm.
Fry
the diced bacon in the remaining 2 Tblsp of butter until lightly browned. Add
the mushrooms and saute lightly. Keep warm.
Pour
the wine and port into the baking pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then
pour the liquid over the mushrooms and bacon, and add salt and pepper if
necessary.
To
serve, make a pile of the cabbage in the center of each serving plate. Slice
the individual pieces of lamb and lay the slices on the cabbage. Scatter the
mushrooms, bacon and some of the sauce around the edge.
Serve
immediately!
It
was delicious. The only drawback was that it produced a whole lot of dishes to
wash (and my electric dishwasher hasn’t worked for a long time). But it was
worth it.
It's a bit of a tribute to the next County Cork Mystery, The Lost Traveller, which will be released next week. One new character is a chef in a Skibbereen restaurant (based on a real one that I had to sample, and then I got to tour the kitchen, which was a treat. In the next book in the series that will appear in 2020 (still nameless) Maura and her crew will rebuild the kitchen at Sullivan's Pub and begin serving food (because that's what's happening at Connolly's of Leap, the inspiration for the series).
Here's what Library Journal had to say about it:
“This seventh in Anthony and Agatha Award
nominee Connolly’s ‘County Cork Mystery’ series (after Many a Twist) is
a thoughtfully executed and charmingly talkative cozy. The Irish setting is
authentic, Maura is a delight, and the characters are gaining depth as this
series matures.” —Library Journal starred review
Oh, I do need to find some good lamb now! I ate a good deal of it when I lived in Europe, yet I think I may have had it twice in the last 26 years since I have been back in the States! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I love lamb!
ReplyDeleteThis looks quite tasty.
What cut of meat did you use?
I think it's the top part of a hind leg (the whole thing weighed only two pounds, before I removed the bone and some of the fat). It may have traveled a few thousand miles, but it was definitely fresh and tender.
Delete