Grilled Lamb Steaks with Green Olive and Scallion Salsa Verde
From the Kelly Myers collection
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Total Time | 40 minutes |
Introduction
This is a good approach to quick and easy summer grilling: Steaks are grilled to medium rare with nothing other than salt and pepper, then sliced and drizzled with a zesty herb sauce. Lamb or beef prepared this way is delicious fanned out over potato salad or even salad greens. Slicing steaks in thin strips means one steak can easily serve two people.
Here I’ve added green olives and scallions to salsa verde, the classic Italian parsley sauce. The result has enough brine and bite to stand up to robust smoky grilled lamb, while still tasting of the leafy herb.
Ingredients
Steaks
| 2 | lamb leg or shoulder steaks (about 1½ pounds total) | |
| ~ | Olive oil | |
| ~ | Salt and black pepper |
Salsa verde
| ½ | bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped (about ½ cup) | |
| 2 | large green onions, white and green parts minced (about 3 Tbsp.) | |
| 6 | green olives in brine, pitted and chopped (about 3 Tbsp.) | |
| 1 | clove garlic, minced | |
| 2 | anchovy fillets, chopped | |
| 5 | Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, or enough to give the sauce a loose consistency | |
| 1½ | tsp. red-wine vinegar | |
| ~ | Salt and black pepper |
Salad (optional)
| 1 | bunch watercress or arugula, washed and dried |
Steps
- Preheat grill or start coals. Rub the steaks lightly with olive oil and season on both sides with salt and black pepper. Allow to come to room temperature.
- While the grill heats, make the salsa verde. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, green onions, green olives, garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and red-wine vinegar with salt and pepper to taste. (It can take salt a while to dissolve in an olive-oil-based sauce; let the salsa verde sit for 10 minutes before checking the seasonings, then adjust as necessary. You may need to add more salt, pepper, or vinegar. Salsa verde should be piquant.)
- Grill lamb steaks to medium rare, approximately 4 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes.
- To serve, cut out any bones. Slice meat in ¼-inch strips. Fan strips over the plate and the watercress or arugula, if using. Drizzle salsa verde over the lamb and the greens.
Notes
Read more in Kelly Myers’ column “Grass-fed lamb.”
This content is from the Kelly Myers collection.