Monday, June 1, 2009

Grilled Lamb Steaks with Minted Honey Sherry Vinaigrette - Culinary Cross-Dressing

Imagine the disappointment of someone who arrived on this page by googling "Cross-Dressing." Sorry, but the cross-dressing I'm referring to is using salad dressings to sauce meats. By the way, yes, that skirt does make your butt look big.

Using vinaigrette as a sauce for grilled meats is one of my favorite "cheats" of all time. They take minutes to whisk together, there's
absolutely no culinary finesse required, and the combinations of oils, vinegars, and flavorings are limitless.This grilled lamb steaks recipe was filmed over the Memorial Day weekend, but I just got around to editing it together. As I cut up the 15 minutes of raw footage into a somewhat presentable 4 minutes video recipe clip, my mouth was watering as I remembered the smoky, juicy lamb mingling with the minty, sweet, and tangy vinaigrette.When I post these types of recipes, it's my hope that it serves as an inspiration to experiment with the concept, more so than that just to have you follow the steps. How about balsamic vinaigrette on some grilled skirt steak? Maybe mustard dressing on some pork chops? How could grilled chicken drizzled with Greek dressing and feta not be awesome?

So watch this video, and daydream-up some combinations (instead of concentrating on work today), and then get out to the grill this weekend to see if it works. If it doesn’t, I'll take the blame. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
4 lamb steaks (cut from the leg, about 1 1/2 inch thick)
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh tarragon, torn
1/2 bunch fresh mint, torn
salt as needed
For the vinaigrette:
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

17 comments:

CollegeGourmet said...

I actually had a fantastic lamb steak at a greek restaurant last night; it was charbroiled and had a vinaigrette "sauce" on it. It was just too good to describe. Maybe this recipe will get me close to what I had?

Anonymous said...

That looks so good! My favorite meat is lamb. I will definitely be fixing this very soon. Thanks!

Chanelle said...

I grew up with mint sauce (malt vinegar is the main flavour) on all my lamb. That looks delicious! Lamb leg steaks are the only way to go.

Teresa said...

I love lamb! Thanks for this. Can't wait to try it.

Teresa said...

I love lamb! Thanks for this. Can't wait to try it.

Mari said...

Your website is straight up food porn. Mmmmmmmmm.

Myles said...

Your recipes are all delicious. I try to make most of them. Your videos are well produced and the narration is spot on. Keep those recipes coming!

Chef John said...

sure, or you can even pan-fry like a regular steak, no problem.

Anonymous said...

I was so pleased when Chef John allowed me to use balsamic vinegar in this recipe as a substitute for sherry vinegar.

I follow Chef John's recipes to the letter but sherry vinegar is quite a luxury here in "the old country" due to an economic downturn and potential recession

This said, the honey dressing worked with balsamic.

Thanks, Chef John!

Anonymous said...

im planning on making this recipe for dinner and i was wondering if i can fry it instead of grilling? because i dont have a grill.

what modificaiton would i have to do? and would it still taste good? thank you so much and really nice recipe :)

Chef John said...

Yes, you can cook it any way you like.

John from England said...

I have fried (rather than grilled) the lamb steaks about a dozen times when following Chef John's recipe, so that's a few times less than I have grilled the steaks, but here's what I do:-

When frying, heat a little oil to medium heat, fry each side of the pre-marinaded steak for 5/6 minutes for medium rare(keeping an eye on things just in case you are overcooking them), then wrap up (in foil) as Chef John recommends to rest and absorb the dressing - and "enrobe" (I have always loved that bit of te video - a special Chef John phrase).

Chef John, please tell me if you disagree with this advice.

Best wishes from Sunny Cheshire, England.

Commenting said...

Sorry, I feel like an idiot but where is the video ? Am I missing a link or something ????

Chef John said...

try again!

Cary said...

Thanks for this recipe. I made it last night and it was so very delicious!

Unknown said...

Hey chef jon can you use this recipe for a butterflied leg of lamb?

Christina G said...

How long do you cook them in a cast iron pan instead of on the grill for medium rare?