Saltbush Lamb Loin

Ingredients

SERVES 4

SLOW-ROASTED ONIONS

6 medium white salad onions
Rock salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chives, sliced
2 spring onions, white part only, finely sliced

LOIN MARINADE

1 shallot, sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
knob ginger, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, skin on, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
80ml soy sauce 2
200ml olive oil
2 saltbush lamb loins or regular lamb loins 280g each

CAVALO NERO

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 small lamb merguez sausages, sliced
8 cavalo nero leaves to serve
8 orange segments, small

Method

SLOW-ROASTED ONIONS

Preheat oven to 140°C. Place the onions on a tray lined with a thin layer of rock salt and bake until very soft and sweet (about two hours).

Cool a little, then peel the outer layer off and discard. Peel onions further into small strips. Place in a small bowl, season and add olive oil, chives and spring onions.

This cooking technique gives these onions so much taste they don’t need many condiments.

LOIN MARINADE

Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Divide the marinade in half into two larger bowls. Clean lamb of all sinews and marinate in one of the bowls for at least 15 minutes before cooking. On a grill plate, cook the lamb to medium-rare. Remove from grill, place in the second bowl of marinade and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.

CAVALO NERO

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the merguez slices. Add the cavalo nero, stirring quickly. Remove from the heat, season and put aside on a tray.

TO SERVE

To serve, put slow-roasted onions on the plate and place the sliced lamb loin on top. Give the marinade that the lamb has been resting in a good stir and coat the meat. Sprinkle the cavalo nero, merguez and orange segments on top. This is a very quick dish to plate up as long as you have the onions ready.

NOTE: Saltbush lamb is grazed on the unique native pastures of the pristine Riverina district of New South Wales, which gives their meat a unique flavour.


Recipe by Jacques Reymond

This is an edited extract from 'Signature Dishes' by Michelle Tchea, published by New Holland, RRP $29.95.

Credits: Jacques Reymond