Balsamic Lamb Steaks with Minted Spring Pea Mash

SERVES: 2

Ingredients:

2 lamb (~80g or ~3oz) rump or leg steaks
A little oil for greasing the frying pan
For the marinade:
75ml (2.6 fl oz) of red wine (see the introduction for alternatives if you prefer not to use wine)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (choose a sweet tasting variety)
1 clove of crushed garlic (or you can use dried granules or ready made paste)
1/2tsp ground black pepper
For the minted pea mash:
210g tin of butterbeans, drained weight about 100g
150g (5.2oz) frozen peas
1tsp mint sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Recipe Summary

Marinated seasonal lamb makes an impressive but speedy spring supper. Lamb is a very good source of iron, B vitamins and the mineral selenium. Some studies have suggested that there is a link between low blood levels of selenium and the severity of osteoarthritis: it’s thought that the anti-oxidant properties of selenium might help slow the development of the disease. However, there isn’t much evidence to suggest that eating large quantities of selenium rich foods or taking supplements can help arthritis. Lamb can be very fatty so look for leaner cuts and trim pieces before eating.

The wine in the marinade provides great depth of flavour and the alcohol burns off during cooking but if you prefer not to cook with wine then you could use grape or beetroot juice instead. The beetroot juice is particularly effective as it tints the lamb pink!

I’ve suggested using a hand blender to make the pea and butterbean puree – if you don’t have one, then a food processor or jug blender will work fine but obviously there will be more washing up involved! If you don’t have any of these gadgets, don’t despair – the minted peas and beans are still very nice lightly mashed or left whole. If you need a bit more ‘ballast’ with your meal then add some more seasonal produce with baby new potatoes.

Method:

First, mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. Add the lamb steaks, cover, and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (you can leave the lamb marinating for up to 12 hours).

Cook and drain the peas. Return them to the saucepan and add the rinsed and drained butterbeans, olive oil and mint sauce. Puree the until smooth using a hand blender. Set to one side.

Lightly grease a frying pan and then heat it until very hot. Remove the lamb steaks from the marinade and pat dry using kitchen roll. Put them in the frying pan and sear for 1 minute on each side before turning the heat down and cooking for a further 2-3minutes, or until cooked to your liking.

Remove the lamb from the pan and allow to rest before serving with the minted pea mash.