Hairy Bikers Lamb Steaks

Four leg steaks rubbed with lemon, garlic and dried mint roast over new potatoes, broad beans and courgettes for Hairy Bikers lamb steaks. In One Pot Wonders they call it Minty Lamb Steaks, and it gives 4 plates of around 670 calories in about 1½ hours.

Lamb steaks are “a really useful cut of meat, readily available and easy to prepare”, they write, and “they work well as a tray bake”. And here the mint goes into a lemon and garlic marinade rather than a sauce on the side, with chopped dill over the top.

The veg need a 45-minute head start, with 30 minutes under foil to steam the sliced potatoes tender and 15 uncovered to colour. Then the oven goes up to 220°C for the steaks, so their juices run straight into the veg underneath.

Hairy Bikers Lamb Steaks

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Roasting Cuisine:British Courses:Main Course

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 55 minutesRest time: 5 minutesTotal time:1 hour 30 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:670 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A spring-green one-tin supper with sliced baby potatoes, bright broad beans and soft shallots under four minty leg steaks. And a splash of white wine keeps the veg moist while they roast, before a scatter of dill at the end.

Ingredients

For the lamb

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 4 lamb leg steaks
• salt and black pepper

For the vegetables

• 500g baby new potatoes, sliced about 5mm thick
• 500g broad beans (podded weight), skinned if you have time
• 8 shallots, halved
• 2 courgettes, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 75ml white wine

To serve

• a small handful of dill, chopped

Instructions

1. Marinate the lamb: Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan, Gas 6. Then mix the oil, lemon juice, garlic and dried mint in a bowl with plenty of salt and pepper. And rub it into the lamb steaks and set them aside, covered, while you prepare the vegetables.
2. Skin the broad beans: If you have time, cover the broad beans with boiling water and leave them until cool enough to handle. Then slip off the tough, pale outer skins to reveal the bright green beans.
3. Start the veg: Put the potatoes, broad beans, shallots and courgettes in a roasting tin big enough to hold them in a rough single layer. Then drizzle over the olive oil and white wine, add a pinch of salt and stir everything together.
4. Roast under foil: Cover the tin with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Then take off the foil and roast for another 15 minutes.
5. Add the lamb: Turn the oven up to 220°C, 200°C fan, Gas 7, and don’t wait for it to get there. Then arrange the lamb steaks over the vegetables and roast for 10 minutes, until they feel springy when pressed. But they’ll colour only lightly rather than looking seared, which is normal here.
6. Rest and serve: Take the tin out and leave it to stand for 5 minutes. Then sprinkle with dill and serve straight from the tin.

FAQs

Can two lamb steaks feed four?

Yes, they suggest it themselves, saying “you could always just do two lamb steaks between four, and up the veg a little”. So slice the cooked steaks and share them out over the potatoes and beans.

Doing two steaks here takes each plate down to roughly 540 calories, before the extra veg. Meanwhile, their lamb tray bake from Meat Feasts is built the same way, with 2 leg steaks feeding 4 at about 435 calories.

Do I have to skin the broad beans?

No, they think it’s “worth removing the skins” for the bright green colour, but “if you run out of time, don’t worry”. And if you leave them on, they just stay a duller grey-green and a little chewier.

Frozen broad beans work too, since they’re sold podded, and they skin easily once thawed. And since 500g podded weight means buying roughly 1.5 to 2kg of fresh pods, frozen saves a lot of shelling.

Is there another Hairy Bikers lamb steak recipe?

Yes, on BBC Food there’s their lamb steak with minty broad beans from Kitchen Garden Live. And there, four 150g steaks marinate for just 10 minutes in red wine vinegar, fresh mint, cumin and pomegranate molasses.

Then they go on a very hot grill or barbecue for 2 to 3 minutes a side and rest for 2 to 3. Meanwhile, the skinned beans simmer with onion, lemon, cinnamon and stock, then halved tomatoes go in at the end.

How long do lamb steaks take in the oven?

Leg steaks vary, so their 10 minutes is a starting point rather than a rule. Since thickness differs from pack to pack, check them rather than trusting the clock, and give thick ones 2 to 3 minutes more.

With a probe, take them out at about 55 to 60°C in the middle for pink, or 70 to 75°C for well done. And since they climb a few degrees while resting, the full 5 minutes matters.

Can I cook lamb steaks in a slow cooker, and do leftovers keep?

You can, but leg steaks are lean, so long braising tends to leave them firm and stringy rather than meltingly tender. And this recipe won’t translate anyway, since the veg need dry oven heat to colour.

For slow cooking, shoulder suits better, since its fat melts over the hours, as in their slow-roast lamb shoulder from Meat Feasts. As for leftovers, they keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, though the lamb is best eaten cold or just warmed through.