Sous Vide Lamb Leg Steaks | Recipe by sousvidetools.com

Sous Vide Spiced Lamb Leg Steaks with Baba Ganouj, Rocket and Roasted Almonds

COOK TIME: 7 Hours
PREP TIME: 2 Hours
DIFFICULTY: Medium

Ingredients

4 x 225g Lamb Leg Steaks
50g Butter, Melted
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Each of Ground Roasted Cumin Seeds, Coriander and Paprika
1 tbsp. Thyme Leaves
1 tsp. Roasted Garlic Powder
Zest and Juice 1 Lemon
1 tsp. Harissa
1 Large Aubergine
75g Tahini, plus more as needed
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice, plus more as needed
Sea Salt
Picked and Washed Rocket Leaves Dressed With Oil And Lemon
75g Peeled Almonds

Equipment

EQUIPMENT

Vacuum Pouches
Vacuum Packaging Machine
Sous Vide Water Oven
Chopping Board
Bowls
Char Grill Coal Oven / BBQ
Sauté Pans
Kitchen Knives

Method

This Lebanese-style recipe pairs marinated leg steaks with a rich, smoky aubergine taste.

METHOD

Mix the butter and oil in a bowl, then stir in the spices, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Add the harissa, 1 tsp salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and mix well
Marinate the lamb leg steaks, seal in a vacuum pouch and cook in a preheated water oven at 56 degrees for 8 hours (medium rare) or 62 degrees for 6 hours (medium)
Prick the aubergine with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire. Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, approx. 10 to 15 minutes
Transfer the aubergine to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Peel off and discard the skin
Place the aubergine flesh in a bowl
Using a fork, mash the aubergine to a paste.
Add the ¼ cup tahini, the garlic, the ¼ cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well
Season with salt and more tahini if required
Roast of the almonds in the oven until golden brown
Take the lamb leg steaks from the pouch, pat dry and on the grill char both sides and season to taste
To serve, place a large spoon of the baba ganoush on a plate beside the lamb steak and top with the roasted almonds and dressed rocket leaves

Chef’s Tip –

The lamb accepts all spices so why not try adding some Thai green curry paste to the cooking pouch for a different flavour. Season with a little lime to finish.

Back to Recipes

Post by Chris Holland

Our Chef Director Chris Holland worked as Head Chef at the prestigious Alderley Edge hotel before joining us. He has a passion for using the best produce and never compromises on quality. Author of our best selling book Sous Vide The Art of Precision Cooking, Chris is a expert on the sous vide technique.During the later part of my school days at Wardle High School Rochdale I always wanted to be a chef . I knew from the very start that my path to work was never going to be academic it was always going to be something practical and hands on.

As a young boy growing up I was inspired to cook with my Grandma who was and still is an inspiration to me . I have memories of helping make the cakes that she always had made for visitors and family alike . She made the most amazing cakes and I loved nothing more than eating the sweet raw cake batter straight from the bowl . We used to fight over who got to lick the bowl/spoon after the cakes were made. My grandma’s philosophy for cooking even on a shoe string budget was always to use fresh and seasonal ingredients either home grown or bought from the market.

School was somewhat of a drag for me as I was itching to learn to become a chef.

I started at Hopwood Hall college as a chef and instantly fell in love with it .To me it was the only real time I excelled in something and this inspired me to really get my head down and put in the hard work. College was the first time I really excelled in something and gave me the opportunity to laugh at the teachers who said I would never make something of my life!!!!

During the three years at college I also took on a part time position in a local hotel working the bar and restaurant first and then the kitchen. These were great days and gave me the opportunity to see how the industry ticks. I learnt a lot from those days both good and bad !! But I have to say I was itching to work only in the kitchen but it was a good insight into the catering world .

After completing college I moved away from Rochdale for a full time roll at one of Cheshire’s most talked about Hotel restaurants The Stanneylands Hotel. This was the school of hard knocks for me as I quickly realised that although excelling at college meant nothing in “The Real World”.

I loved every minute of the 18 hour days 6 days a week on minimum wage . Although difficult I feel that without this grounding I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today. After 18 months of hard graft I left Stanneylands and went with the Head chef to open a fine dining restaurant at Mere Golf and Country Club. The opportunity to work alongside Matthew Barrett was too good to turn down. I learnt so much from the ex-Ritz chef and working in a much slower paced role helped me develop a much better understanding of how to organise and run a kitchen. We were a very small team and teamwork was and still is the only way to go for me.

After 2 years at Mere I got the opportunity to go into The Alderley Edge Hotel as Junior Souschef. The Early days at the Edge were all about learning new styles of cuising which is invaluable in any role as a chef. I got the opportunity to grow and learn all aspects of every section which was inspiring . I was offered the opportunity at the age of 29 (2004) to take the role of head chef. For me this was when I really started to develop my own style of food.

After 9 years at the top winning Cheshire restaurant of the year , Chef of the Year and appearing on GBM amongst many highlights including cooking for many celebrities and famous people I decided to move on into development with Sousvidetools.

The main inspiration for this was to train and educate people . I always had a great passion for education but could never really see myself at a college . The job is super rewarding and I am proud to say we have become the leading light in sous-vide education in the UK . This is something I am very proud of . Food is my biggest passion and this is what keeps me interested the most . I love to travel and try out other countries cuisines. I am constantly inspired by ingredients and the pursuit of getting the best out of them without destroying their natural flavour .It is super important to me to continue to try and be at the forefront of the food scene this is what inspire me and the team to keep driving forward .

Technology is now widely used in the industry and I am super proud to say we have been a big part of spreading that message.

I am very lucky to be in the position I am and the drive to constantly improve our training and links to the next generation of young budding hospitality chefs.

TI feel that my experience over the last 25 years really enables me to get close and educate the “next generation” of chefs .

The industry which I love is really struggling to bring through new recruits and if I can help that process I will be immensely proud.

The food seen in the Uk has improved dramatically over the last ten years and I feel this will continue with the correct education. What happens next only fate will tell us...

...