this is a delicious salad! enough said……….
nah, i cant actually help myself…. mint is always a hit with lamb, in this recipe mint ends up in the homemade mayonnaise. the earthiness and slight chilli hit of the lamb is perfect with the sweet roasted carrot, and yea, i just love hot cheese………… who doesnt?
making mayo is slightly technical, BUT well worth the reward of making it at home. its much tastier and doesnt have a shit load of additives. it also gets super quick to make as you master the talent.
if you dont want to make your own, use store bought mayo – i recommend best foods.
serves 2
for the lamb marinade
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp oregano
4 garlic cloves, crushed
avocado oil
for the salad
600gm lamb backstrap, marinated for at least an hour (or rump!)
8 baby carrots
150gm haloumi, sliced (i had 3 slices per person)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cups baby spinach leaves
avocado oil
salt
pepper
for the mayo
1 egg yolk
1 cup grapeseed, canola or rice bran oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp rice wine, or white wine vinegar
2 cups mint leaves – if using a whisk to make the mayo, finely chop the mint
dash of salt
pre-heat oven to 180deg.
for the lamb
place all marinade ingredients into a dish. add the lamb and massage the marinade into the lamb with your hands. cover and move to the fridge for at least an hour.
for the carrots
wash or peel the baby carrots. toss in some avocado oil and salt, place in the oven for approx 20 minutes to roast. turn at 10 mins so they evenly brown.
for the mayo
add the egg yolk, dijon mustard, vinegar and salt to a mixing bowl. stir to mix. using a stick blender or whisk, slowly drizzle in the oil (keep whisking if using a whisk).
the yolk will start to thicken. once slightly thickened, add the mint leaves.
keep pouring the oil, until the mayo is desired thickness. the 1 cup of oil is an estimate – just use your judgement.
if the egg suddenly goes runny, you have poured the oil in too fast and will have to start again.
assembly
toss the spinach leaves in a little avocado oil.
turn frypan on high. once hot, add lamb to the frypan and cook to medium (65 deg internal temp).
i find backstrap takes about 3 minutes each side. if using rump, you will need to brown and then move the meat to the oven to finish (its usually about 15mins in the oven depending how thick the meat is)…
remove the lamb from the pan and add the cheese. cook til browned on both sides.
slice the lamb once its had enough time to rest (at least half the cooking time).
serve 🙂
i like to serve it all up on the plate so that the hot food doesnt wilt the spinach so…. lay spinach first, top with the carrots, lamb, cheese and pinenuts. serve the mayo on the side.
