We usually make some sort of roast lamb dish around Easter, such as a big ol’ leg of lamb, which is ideal for a huge family gathering, but I have a feeling this year’s going to be a little bit different, so we’re going to go with lovely, thin medallions. It’s far simpler to get this perfectly done than those bigger, more expensive portions of meat, so there’s less tension and anxiety involved. Serve with fried potatoes that are a crisp.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or more as needed
- ⅔ cup diced yellow onion
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup diced Fresno chile pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried mint
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided, or to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 pound boneless lamb top sirloin
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil for agrodolce in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion with a pinch of salt in the hot oil until they start to soften up and take on some color, 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle in more olive oil if the onions look dry. Add chile peppers and garlic; cook until peppers just start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add dried mint and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring, for exactly 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the lamb into four equal 4-ounce pieces and pound between plastic wrap to about 1/8-inch thick medallions. Trim any easy-to-cut silver skin off if you like. Transfer to a Silpat®-lined baking sheet and season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Dust both sides of the meat generously with flour using a sifter and let sit for at least 10 minutes before frying.
- While lamb rests, stir salt and pepper to taste, cayenne, remaining 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, rosemary, and parsley into the agrodolce mixture. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, oil, and/or vinegar as you see fit. Reserve until needed; keep in fridge if making ahead, but let come to room temperature before serving.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, but not quite smoking. Pan-fry the lamb medallions until browned, about 2 minutes per side. They are very thin, so be careful not to overcook. Serve immediately topped with the agrodolce.
- Feel free to use regular bell pepper instead of a Fresno chile, if you want.
- If using fresh mint instead, use 1 tablespoon finely sliced, but add at the end of recipe with the other fresh herbs.
- You can use boneless lamb leg or shoulder instead of top sirloin if you like. If you’re not into lamb, this will work with chicken, veal, pork, beef, or any other poundable protein.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 947 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 135 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Sodium | 398 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 72 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I enjoyed this recipe, and it was relatively easy to make. The garnish was surprisingly good, though my wife still prefers her lamb the old fashioned way, flavored with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper only. I could not find the lamb steaks in any local stores, so had to use boneless leg of lamb and cut and pound it down. (This ended up being the most difficult part, so get the steaks if you can. The leg never did pound down as nicely and thinly as Chef John’s, so I had to increase cooking times accordingly.) It was still a nice meal and we enjoyed it for Easter.