Lamb, beetroot and feta, is one of those heavenly combinations that is just a perfect marriage of flavours. The lamb backstraps, Te Manaia beetroot and Kingsmeade Castlepoint Feta used in this dish combine beautifully to create a delicious Winter salad.
Serves 6
Step 1. Cooking Beetroot
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Remove any leafy tops off 2 bunches of baby beetroot (or 500g of big beetroot) and discard. Place them in a small oven proof dish, pour over 1/3 cup canola oil along with 1/3 cup water. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for an hour or so until the beetroot are soft through. Remove and cool before peeling and discarding the outer skin. Slice beets into quarters, then refrigerate until required.
Step 2. Cooking and Serving
Ingredients…
600 gm lamb backstraps
Sea Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Canola oil
Cooked baby beetroot
1 bunch watercress (leaves picked roughly)
1 cup green peas (cooked)
1 cup basil leaves (torn) \
100 gm Kingsmeade Castlepoint Feta
4 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Method…
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Bring the lamb up to room temperature.
Season the pieces of lamb liberally with sea salt and fresh black pepper.
Place a skillet or similar on high heat, once hot add a little oil followed immediately by the pieces of lamb. Cook for a minute or two on both sides until nicely caramelised, then place in the oven .
Finish cooking for another 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and then rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.
To serve, place the beetroot, watercress, feta, peas and basil in a large mixing bowl. Mix the olive oil, sugar and balsamic vinegar in a separate bowl until combined. Pour dressing onto beet salad and toss gently until coated. Arrange the salad on serving plates.
Slice the lamb into half centimetre thick slices. Top the salad with the lamb and serve immediately.