Sizzling lamb medley

Sizzling lamb medley

Ingredients

• 1 rack New Zealand lamb 
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper 
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• ½ tbsp lemon juice 
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

Method

1. Mix Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary in a dish.
2. Trim any excess fat off the lamb rack.  
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the racks of lamb.  
4. Cover the lamb with mustard mixture and let lamb come to room temperature, about 20 to 30 mins.  
5. Reserve a small amount of the mustard mixture for basting while on the grill.
6. Preheat the grill to medium heat.  
7. Place the rack of lamb on grill meat side up, with ribs away from direct heat.  Do not place the lamb directly over the heat.
8. Cook for 14-20 mins turning and basting occasionally with the mustard mixture.
9. Remove the lamb from the grill when internal temperature is 55C for medium rare.
10. Cover loosely with foil for 5 mins before serving.

Lamb and thyme sausage

Ingredients

• 200g lamb shoulder
• 40g lamb or pork fat
• 10g thyme leaves
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 25ml chilled red wine
• Sausage casing

Method

1. Cut the lamb shoulder and fat into small pieces that will easily fit into a meat grinder, removing any sinew from the meat. 
2. In a large bowl combine the meat and fat with the rosemary, salt, garlic and pepper, and stir to mix. 
3. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
4. Before grinding, place the bowl from your stand mixer and meat grinder in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
5. Using the finest grind on your grinder, grind the meat mixture into the chilled bowl. Alternate pushing the pieces of fat and meat through the grinder to ensure that the fat doesn’t stick inside.
6. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, mix the ground meat on low speed, adding the cold red wine. The mixture will come together in about 2 mins and be sticky.
7. Take about 1 tbsp of meat and form a small patty, and fry it in a skillet. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if desired. 
8. If you plan on stuffing the sausage in casings, refrigerate it for 2 hours. Otherwise, you can simply shape and wrap the sausages in plastic wrap for later use.  If you’re stuffing the sausages, proceed to the next step.
9. While the sausage meat is chilling, soak the casings in warm water for 1 hour. 
10. Rinse the casings in cold water, then run water through them, by slipping one end of the casing over the tap and gently turn on the water to let it flow through the casing. Place the casings in a fine-mesh sieve to drain
11. Attach the sausage stuffer to the grinder, and push the damp sausage casing over the tube until about 4 inches is hanging from the end and tie a knot in this piece. 
12. Add the chilled mixture to the grinder on low speed, and slowly stuff the sausage casings, trying to minimize the air pockets in the casings. 
13. As the sausage enters the casing, it should slowly slide off the tube.
14. Once all the mixture is used up, ease any remaining casing off the tube. Roll the sausage on a damp surface to distribute the filling as evenly as possible
15. Twist each link in the opposite direction to prevent them from unwinding. 
16. Cover the sausages, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze them.
17. Grill on high heat on both sides until meat is just cooked.

Brandy essence

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 shallot, finely chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 35ml cup brandy 
• 150ml beef stock 
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, coarsely chopped 
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
2. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 mins. 
3. Remove from heat and add brandy. 
4. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half. 
5. Whisk in stock and cook until thickened, about 10 mins. 
6. Stir in thyme and season with salt and pepper.

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today, June, 2016.