Once you try this lamb steak recipe, you’ll never want to try another one. It might look complicated but it’s easy and you can prepare this dish in 30 minutes. Get cooking!
If you are a long time reader of Greedy Gourmet, you might have seen your share of slow cooked meaty stews. There are plenty of advantages to eating the latter, e.g. the cuts used are cheap, the meat comes out amazingly tender and most of the time the leftovers can be frozen, great for quick weeknight dinners.
But you know what? Sometimes we fancy an old-fashioned, juicy piece of steak. If it still says “moo” or “baa” on my plate I’m even happier. Let’s not forget the sauce though! That’s paramount to completing the meal, whether it’s laced with cream or tinged with wine.
In this recipe, there are three ways you can cook your steak:
- Frying: Like I’ve done in the step-by-step photos.
- Grilling: Placing the meat under the grill.
- Barbecue: For those of you who are lucky enough to own a barbecue, you can simply grill your steaks and make the sauce on the side. Everybody wins!
In good restaurants you won’t find lamb steaks or chops cooked more than medium at the most. In the photos you can see I prefer mine rare. However, it’s up to you. Here are the temperatures you should aim to reach the specific levels of doneness:
- Rare: 48-54°C (120-130°F)
- Medium-rare: 54-60°C (130-140°F)
- Medium: 60-66°C (140-150°F)
- Well-done: 66-74°C (150-165°F)
If this recipe is right up your alley, you’ll love the following cookbooks:
- Hawksmoor at Home
- Ginger Pig Meat Book
- Sauces: Savoury and Sweet
- Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making
Wine Pairing
Lamb is the ultimate spring-time meat and however it is cooked there is simply an affinity to Merlot.
The fast cooking in this recipe really enhances the flavours of the lamb and I have chosen Chateau Le Puy for Bordeaux to complement this quality. Merlot dominates the blend and thanks to careful grape selection and winemaking there is a purity to the fruit which manifests as ripe cherries, raspberries and plums.
Chinon is a village in the Loire Valley of France where red wine is produced using the Cabernet Franc grape. Cabernet Franc is a more rustic wine than the more popular and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon so for a simple lamb dish like this it is a great choice. The fruit is a subtle blend of black and red forest fruits to match the sticky shallots and a soft black peppery finish adds to the savoury, earthy quality which brings out the flavor and meatiness of the lamb. Delicious!
Let’s get cooking. The end result might look sophisticated but the actual process is quite straight forward.
You need some good quality steaks, whether it’s lamb or beef, it’s up to you. Lamb chops will work as well.
Peel and quarter some shallots. As with most recipes, this one is adaptable. If you’re like me and are addicted to the stuff, by all means use more shallots than the recipe states. On the other hand, if you’re not a fan, omit the shallots all together and use mushrooms instead.
Plunge the onions in salted, boiling water and cook them for a few minutes.
Drain the shallots and put them aside while you’re frying the steak.
Heat a frying pan and melt butter in it.
Fry the steak to your liking.
When the steak is cooked to your desire, place it in low-temperatured oven to keep it warm while you prepare the sauce.
You thought wrong. It’s not money but butter that makes the world go round. Add some more to the pan.
Fry the shallots to the pan…
… and continue to fry until they have browned.
Add the balsamic vinegar and let it sizzle.
Don’t forget to stir everything frequently, thus ensuring that all onion surfaces will be infused with the lovely flavours to come.
When the vinegar has reduced add the red wine. Let it bubble for a few minutes.
Add the beef stock. You know the drill. Simmer the sauce until everything comes together.
Redcurrant jelly is optional but it does give that final sweet touch to the sauce. Any kind of berry jelly will do, blackberry, raspberry etc.
There you go. It’s easy, isn’t it?
Lamb Steaks with Shallots and Red Wine Sauce
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2
A beautiful red wine sauce that will go with beef and lamb steaks.
Ingredients
- 8 brown shallots, peeled and quartered but left whole at the root
- 2 lamb leg steaks, about 175g (6 oz) each
- 25g (1 oz) butter
- 60ml (4 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
- 175ml (6 fl oz) red wine
- 150ml (¼ pint) beef stock
- 5ml (1 tsp) redcurrant jelly [optional]
Instructions
- Simmer the shallots in a pan of water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Season the steaks with a little salt and plenty of crushed peppercorns.
- Heat half the butter in a pan until sizzling, then cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side for medium or until done to your liking.
- Remove the steaks and keep warm. While they rest, add the remaining butter to the pan, throw in the shallots, then sizzle in the sticky pan until starting to brown.
- Add the balsamic vinegar and bubble for a few minutes.
- Add the wine and boil down until sticky, then add the beef stock and simmer until everything comes together.
- If you like a bit of sweetness to your sauce, add the jelly and make sure it dissolves completely.
- Spoon the shallots and sauce over the steaks and serve immediately.
Notes
Serve with green beans and chips.
Courses Main
Cuisine French
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 388.4g
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 515 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 18.7 g | 29% | |
Saturated Fat 9.1 g | 46% | |
Sodium 109 mg | 5% | |
Total Carbohydrates 23.3 g | 8% | |
Sugars 5.4 g | ||
Protein 47.3 g | 95% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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I made this last night and it was AMAZING! It felt like a decadent restaurant meal and is definitely worthy of company you want to impress. I paired it with roasted brussels sprouts with Applewood smoked salt and I am looking forward to making it again soon. Thanks for the recipe!
you’re welcome!! 🙂
Just made this for dinner for my wife and I. Absolutely loved it! Followed the recipe exactly except replaced the shallots with mushrooms as recommended, as we had none. Incredibly easy and tasty. Will definitely make this again.
Great to hear Jason. I am glad you like the recipe
See this lamb dish today trying to find something different to cook
Wow 3 out of the 4 who had it loved it great tasting sauce with the lamb
It’s on my list of keepers now
Thank you
I was wondering whether anyone knew what is meant by Jelly?
Is it mean in the English or American usage? Thanks.
I understand why you’re confused about jelly, Leon. In this case jelly refers to do the kind of smooth fruit jam/conserve that Americans pair with peanut butter, not the gelatine type.
Cooked this recipe loads. Best lamb steak and sauce wow,!!!!! We’ll done Michelle .
Just made this for lunch, with mushrooms and a bit of regular onion as had no shallots. Lovely sauce! Thank you
Hi Michelle, absolutely love this sauce, it is sooo tasty! Do you think it would work just as well with lamb shanks cooked in the slow cooker?
My husband and I made this for dinner last weekend (with garlic and rosemary roasted Melba potatoes from our garden) and it was delicious!! We are making it again tomorrow but this time with parsnip puree as the side! 😀
Hi Michelle, this really is a fantastic (and simple) recipe. I’m currently learning as much as I can and I was wondering what effect, aside from holding them together, leaving the root on the shallots had. I didn’t do that when I cooked it as I’ve always been told to discard the root during prep – I’m assuming it’s perfectly fine to eat?
I used this recipe this evening. I didn’t have shallots so I used some red onion and also added in some garlic and used the water I’d boiled them in to make the beef stock. Served with new potatoes (and a glass of red wine) and it was lovely – like the sweetness from the balsamic.
Lovely sauce – needed some sweetness added. But I think its more suited to beef because it killed the delicate flavour of the lamb – I could’ve been eating any lean meat. Will definately try again with rump steak.
Brilliant recipe i made mine with cranberry sauce also and served it with fondant potato yum
Taste great. I added rosemary and used cranberry sauce
This is a great recipe, I do very similar to this recipe whenever I eat lamb leg steaks.
Sometimes if I don’t have shallots, I use a red onions, a clove or two of garlic, add a bay leaf and a few pinches of crushed black pepper and the rest of the recipe is pretty much the same..
I always marinade the lamb too, with herbs, olive oil, a dash of balsamic and a clove of garlic either broken or crushed…
I serve with green beans, carrots and roast potatoes with herbs…
Great dinner every time…highly recommend…
Many thanks for your comment, Mr Bee. I haven’t come tried marinating my steaks yet but I’ll give it a whirl next time!
This is a great recipe, I do very similar to this recipe whenever I eat lamb leg steaks.
Sometimes if I don’t have shallots, I use a red onions, a clove or two of garlic, add a bay leaf and a few pinches of crushed black pepper and the rest of the recipe is pretty much the same..
I always marinade the lamb too, with herbs, olive oil, a dash of balsamic and a clove of garlic either broken or crushed…
I serve with green beans, carrots and roast potatoes with herbs…
Great dinner every time…highly recommend…
Jason: I’m so glad to hear you had success with this recipe. The sauce is so good we use it with different types of meat cuts, e.g. fillet/sirlion steak, minced beef patties, you get the idea. Happy eating!
Just cooked this meal and had with my girlfriend, it was delicious. Will defo cook this again, compliments to the chef!!!!!!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe and giving feedback, Mandy! It made my day. 🙂
I did this last night – delicous.
Oh wow, that looks wonderful – *love* the picture .
Wow! Your recipes all look amazing! Just bookmarked your site! Thanks!
Stunning, like the idea of rare lamb steaks….An inviting plate of food!!
That looks fantastic – can I order it when I visit? (LOL don’t panic!)
Another one bookmarked!
This is right up my street. Lamb leg steaks are so quick and easy to cook. Delicious!