New Zealand Lamb

Ted and I just spent a week in the warm hospitality of Kendall and Jo Jones and their beautiful children Georgina, Emily, Marcus, Ruby and Madeline at their lovely home in Nelson, New Zealand.  Special thanks to Ruby who vacated her bedroom for us, and to Kendall and Jo who made our visit a dream!  We were treated to a small taste of the beauty their country has to offer, and we enjoyed grilling and smoking our dinners together and sharing them over some gorgeous New Zealand wines from Kendall’s cellar. 

 

We fired up both the Broil King Barbecue and the Broil King Keg, and during the course of our stay we enjoyed rack of lamb, bison steaks, grilled chicken and smoked ribs.   

One memorable lunch with the Four Seasons team at The Grape Escape was a lovely grilled lamb and vegetable salad:  so simple and so delicious!

Grilled New Zealand Lamb and Vegetable Salad

serves 4

2 lamb sirloins, trimmed of fat

olive oil

2 small zucchinis, sliced ¼” thick, on the diagonal

2 small eggplants, sliced ¼” thick, on the diagonal

8 cremini mushrooms

1 red pepper, cut into large chunks

4 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered

mixed baby greens

edible flowers, such as small pansies or nasturtiums, for garnish

aioli

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH for 10 minutes.  Brush the grids with a wire brush, then use a silicone basting brush to apply vegetable or olive oil to prevent sticking.  Reduce the temperature to MEDIUM. 

Toss the lamb sirloins and vegetables separately with a little olive oil.  Cook the lamb to medium rare, about 8 minutes in total, following the directions for Perfect Grill Marks. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, toss the prepared zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms and red pepper in a little olive oil.  Grill them separately according to our vegetable grilling chart until tender crisp. Slice the grilled red pepper into thin strips.

To arrange the salad, spoon some aioli in 3 puddles on each dinner sized plate.  Mound the greens in the centre of the plate, then arrange the grilled and prepared vegetables and sliced lamb around the plate, topping with edible flowers for garnish.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.