Lamb Steak
Aperçu
Lamb steaks are cut from the leg or the shoulder, rubbed with garlic, chilli and herbs, and roasted on a rack. The source names no country, though it observes that lamb is eaten widely across Africa, and the bouillon cube in the rub is a West African marker rather than a European one. Lamb has an unusually long documented history: sheep were first raised in the Middle East around nine thousand years ago, and lamb is central to cooking across North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn. Moroccan mechoui, Algerian mtewem, Senegalese dibi and Ethiopian tibs are all built on it, and each is a distinct dish this recipe is not. What lamb tastes of is worth knowing if you have not eaten much of it. It is sharper, earthier and slightly gamier than beef, and that comes from branched-chain fatty acids that beef does not have. Diet affects flavour as it does with beef. Most cuts are naturally tender, so very little needs doing to them, and the source's own advice is the important part: cooked to rare or medium-rare it is soft and excellent, and beyond that it toughens. The rub needs four hours in the fridge.
Ingrédients
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Préparation
- 1
Heat the oven to 175°C and prepare a pan with a rack. Line the pan with foil for easy cleaning and lightly oil the rack.
- 2
Mix the garlic paste, chilli powder, parsley, garlic, black pepper, bouillon cube and salt together.
- 3
Rub the mixture over the lamb steaks and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- 4
Place the meat on the rack, spaced evenly.
- 5
Put the meat in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, adjusting the time to the thickness of the steaks and how you like them.
- 6
At the halfway point, slide the rack out, turn the meat over quickly and return it to the oven for the remaining time.
- 7
Cut into the meat to check it is done to your liking before serving.
Notes de l’Africook
- Do not overcook it. Lamb is naturally tender and is at its best rare to medium-rare; past that it toughens and dries.
- Give the rub the full four hours in the fridge. A short marinade only seasons the surface of a steak this thick.
- Take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking so it comes to room temperature and cooks evenly.
- Rest it for five minutes after cooking before cutting, or the juices run out onto the board.
- Leg steaks have a small round bone in the centre and are leaner; shoulder steaks have more fat and more flavour. Both work.
- You can buy pre-cut lamb steaks or cut them yourself from a boneless leg.
Questions fréquentes
What is the difference between lamb and beef?
Lamb is sharper, earthier and slightly gamier, and that comes from branched-chain fatty acids that beef does not contain. Its flavour is also affected by the animal's diet, as beef is. Most cuts of lamb are naturally tender, so they need much less work than the equivalent cut of beef.
Which cut should I use?
Leg steaks or shoulder steaks, both of which the source names. Leg steaks are leaner and have a small round bone in the centre; shoulder steaks carry more fat and more flavour. You can buy them pre-cut or cut them yourself from a boneless leg of lamb.
How long should I cook it?
Twenty-five minutes at 175°C is the guide, turned halfway, but thickness varies enormously so cut into it to check. Rare to medium-rare is where lamb is best. If you prefer it well done, accept that it will be firmer and drier, which is a matter of taste rather than error.
What are the African lamb dishes?
Many, across the north and the Sahel. Moroccan mechoui is the slow-roasted whole animal. Algerian mtewem is garlic meatballs with chickpeas. Senegalese dibi is grilled lamb with mustard and onion sauce. Ethiopian tibs is quickly fried with spiced butter. None of them is this recipe, which is a plain roasted steak.
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