Herb-Crusted Lamb with Blue Bratkartoffeln

Yeah, I coulda called them Home Fries, but the alliteration is so awesome.  And yes, I did say blue.  Blue as the night sky.  Blaue Anneliese, this variety is called.  They cost about three times as much as the plain-Jane white potatoes at the Biomarkt.  Most of that was just paying for the experience.  They taste a tiny bit different - there's a stronger flavor in there, maybe creamier - but the fun is really in the presentation.

Of course you can make Bratkartoffeln with "normal" potatoes, too.  I've even given a recipe before.

Here's how this meal came to be.  First, I saw the blue potatoes.  I wasn't sure they were worth the extra cash, but the guy shopping next to us confided they had a completely different taste.  Well, if we just had a Berliner give us friendly advice, we couldn't not take it.  We decided we'd roast the potatoes and make a turkey schnitzel to go along with them.  And then, on farmers' market day, the butcher didn't have local turkey breasts.  So we went for some leg of lamb instead.  He gave us 400 grams of beauty, which I think was the sirloin - but at any rate definitely some part of the leg!  The Hungry Fiance found a marinade online and never looked back.  And the cool part about this marinade is it let me dig into my jar of local rosemary mustard.

Along with Hungry Fiance's pledge to eat meat only once a week, he and I are committed to eating ethically- and responsibly-raised meat when we do partake.  We're very lucky to have access to Neuland meat right outside our door.  Apart from looking out for the welfare of the animals, the land and the environment, this stuff is GOOD!  It was the tastiest and tenderest lamb either of us had had in years.  If you live in Berlin, do your tastebuds a favor & find it.

Now you see how amazing the meal looked.  And now, look how blue!  These potatoes were so much fun!

Herb-Crusted Lamb with Blue Bratkartoffeln

adapted from Chefkoch
prep time: 8-24 hours to marinate + 20 minutes at cooking time
cook time: 30 minutes

ingredients:

for the lamb & marinade:

400 grams lamb sirloin
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rosemary mustard (or substitute with Dijon mustard)

at cooking time:
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender - as many or few as you want)

for the Bratkartoffeln:

450 grams (1 pound) blue potatoes
1 tbsp butter
3 tsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped or torn
salt and pepper

for the Feldsalat:

200g lamb's lettuce
1 shallot, diced fine
2 tbsp Easy Vinaigrette, recipe follows
salt and pepper

for the Easy Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mustard (rosemary mustard if ya got it!)
salt and pepper

directions:

for the lamb:

Mix the olive oil and mustard.  Slice the garlic cloves into matchsticks.  Gently crush the rosemary between your palms to release the scent.

Place the lamb into a sealable plastic bag and add the marinade.  Squeeze to remove excess air, seal the bag, and gently massage the bag so all the lamb is covered with marinade.  Place in the refrigerator and leave to marinate for 8-24 hours.

At cooking time:
Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat.  Remove the lamb from the bag; discard rosemary sprigs.  Spread the breadcrumbs on both sides of the lamb, then gently sprinkle chopped herbs on each side.  Place the garlic matchsticks from the marinade on top with the herbs, if desired.

Melt 1 tsp butter in the pan.  When the pan is hot, add the lamb.  Sear for 5 minutes on one side, then reduce the temperature to medium and continue to cook for 10 minutes on each side.  When lamb has reached your desired doneness, remove from heat, allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice.

Our lamb was 3 inches thick - we tried cooking for about 10 minutes per side on low heat but it had hardly cooked, so we cooked it on medium for another 7 minutes per side and got the beautiful coloring you see.

for the potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and rinse them briefly with cold water.  Slice thinly (about 1/4 inch).  In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat.  Add potatoes to the hot pan.  Sprinkle with rosemary and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Longer cooking times will give the potatoes a crunchy crust, if you have the patience!

The rosemary will get all crispety when it fries up.  You totally have my permission to munch on that out of the pan.

for the salad:

Remove the roots from the lamb's lettuce, if still attached.  Toss in the diced shallot.  Top with salt and pepper.  In a bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients with a fork and serve with the salad.

If kashrut declares you can't cook a kid in its mother's milk, is there any biblical prohibition against serving lamb with lamb's lettuce?  Oh, I crack me up.