Icelandic Lamb

Icelandic Lamb Tenderloin Cut

If you ever come to Iceland you have to taste the Icelandic lamb. 
Leg of lamb (Lambalæri) with potatoes and gravy is a traditional Sunday meal all around the island and lamb meat soup (Kjötsúpa) is something that you quite literally cant miss. (honestly, they make it at all they top tourist attractions.)

If you hit the road in Iceland you will inevitably have to slow down or sway off it at some point to avoid hitting wandering sheep with their lambs. Not that they have the right of way or anything, but just because they will be on the road staring you down. They roam the highlands freely during the summer and have a tendency to wander down into the lowlands too.
Grass is always greener... and all that.
These three ran off the road when we passed them the other day.
Cute.

Enough Iceland trivia, back to food.

Preparation 

The tenderloin is easily the best meat on the Icelandic lamb. 
It comes from the area around the spine of the animal and is a muscle that isn't overly strained at any point. So it stays soft.
 

These pieces are about 200 - 250 gr each, not much but it's more than enough for two people.
They are available with of without the fat, but I recommend that the fat stay on. For reasons yet to be revealed.

Grab a very sharp knife and slice shallow grooves into the fat.
Don't cut right down to the meat, that will spoil it.

I like to make a diamond pattern by cutting across the groves again.

Seasoning

Lightly sprinkle with salt and dried herbs other spices at will. Rub them into the grooves.

The herbs I use are found in a nice little mix called "Bezt á lambið" the 'z' intentionally placed there for amusement as it does not exist in the Icelandic alphabet.

It translates as 'Best on the lamb' and it's an Icelandic production, two women wanting to share their herb mixing skills.


They list the ingredients as:
"only quality spices. Parsley, basilikum, mint, rosemary, majoram, oregano, lemon pepper, paprika, litle bit of salt (comes with the lemon pepper) and some more spices in smaller portions."

Cooking

Heat the pan at a low heat and place the Lamb sirloin fat down on it.
This way the fat will melt and cook into the meat making it nice and flavorful.

It's better to let it sit there and simmer in it's own juices on a low heat than to slap it down on a hot pan and burn the spices.

I leave it for 5 to 7 min, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Then roll it over to seal the other side.


Now pace it in the hot oven for another 10 minutes and then let it stand and rest for another 5 before cutting it.

See how it is nice and pink in the middle but has a lovely crust of spices on the top.

This time round I finished the dish off with a twice baked potato as a side as well as a generous helping of corn and green peas.

I'm telling you this is perfection.





 Look for my recipe for twice baked potato on my blog and check out some fun ramblings about the Icelandic sheep on my other blog.