The Sunday Roast and Other Lamb Dishes

- straight from the mountain slopes

Lamb and mutton used to be by far the most common meat in Iceland, probably from the earliest times. Lamb is still very popular and is now used in all kinds of dishes, not just the traditional roasts, steaks and stews. The trend has been towards shorter cooking times – roasts and steaks were traditionally well done or very well done. A leg of lamb that was rosy at the bone would have been considered partly raw by most.

Sunday Roast
Sunnudagslærið
Serves 8 to 10

What most Icelanders over thirty still think of when somebody mentions Sunday roast  is definitely leg or saddle of lamb, well done, probably served with sugar-glazed potatoes and canned green peas – maybe also carrots and other cooked vegetables, sweet-sour red cabbage, pickled cucumber, canned corn, sautéed mushrooms or a coleslaw – but invariably with a thick and rich gravy.

This recipe for leg of lamb is very traditional, except the pepper would not have been freshly ground. Older cookbooks often give roasting times as long as half an hour per pound, which is rather excessive for most modern tastes, but most people used to prefer their meat well done. These days, the roasting time is usually much shorter and the roast is often spiked with garlic slivers and more herbs are used.

1 leg of lamb on the bone, 5 to 6 pounds
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary (optional)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 to 3 cups lamb stock or water (more as needed)
3 tablespoons flour
Gravy browning or soy sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rub the leg of lamb liberally with seasoning and herbs, if using. Butter a roasting pan, place the roast in it, top with dots of butter and place in the hot oven. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 325°F.

Meanwhile, heat the stock or water in a saucepan. Pour it over the roast and into the roasting pan. Roast for an additional hour or so, depending on the size of the leg and desired doneness. Baste occasionally and add more stock or water if needed.

Remove the roast from the oven when ready, place it on a heated serving plate, cover with foil and keep warm. Skim some of the fat from the stock in the roasting pan, then pour it through a sieve into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix the flour and some cold water into a smooth paste and stir it into the stock to thicken it.

Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, season to taste and add a little gravy browning or soy sauce if the sauce is very pale. A splash of cream is sometimes added to round out the flavor.
The roast is usually carved at the table.

Saddle of lamb is traditionally cooked in exactly the same way but needs shorter cooking time – 45 to 60 minutes, according to size, for a well done roast.

 
Breaded Lamb Cutlets
Lambakótelettur í raspi
Serves 4

Icelandic lamb cutlets are small and thinly cut but a part of the flank is often included, so they tend to be more fatty than other cutlets. In these health-conscious times, some or all of the fat is trimmed before cooking.

When I was growing up, this was the accepted method to cook the cutlets and they were a popular Sunday dinner, as were breaded lamb chops. They were often cooked in exactly the same way, although a few tablespoons of water were often added to the pan after they had been browned on both sides and the chops were then covered and cooked on low heat until ready. These cuts were always cooked through, never just until pink in the middle.

12 small lamb cutlets (about 2 pounds)
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
6 tablespoons margarine or vegetable oil

Pat the cutlets dry with paper towels and trim some of the fat. Beat them with a mallet to make them even thinner. Lightly whisk egg and milk in a shallow bowl. Season the bread crumbs with pepper and salt.

Melt the margarine in a large skillet. Dip the cutlets into the egg mixture, roll them in the bread crumbs, and arrange them on the pan. Brown them on both sides at fairly high heat, then lower the heat and cook the cutlets for 8 to10 minutes, turning once. Remove them from the pan and arrange them on a heated serving plate.

Serve with more melted margarine, boiled potatoes, and vegetables.

Lamb Curry
Kjöt í karríi
Serves 4

Mild curry spice mixtures were used in Iceland from the late nineteenth century and were one of the very few spices to be found in most kitchens up until the 1960s. It was used to flavor some fish soups and sauces and a few other things, but its main use was for this dish. The following recipe may not sound terribly exciting but this was probably the spiciest dish I tasted during my childhood. And the simple curry sauce actually makes a good foil for the slightly bland boiled lamb.

1½ pounds shoulder of lamb, on the bone
Salt
1 bay leaf (optional)
6 medium potatoes
3 medium carrots
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
1½ tablespoon butter, softened
Freshly ground pepper (optional)

The meat should be cut into fairly large chunks. Cut away excess fat, wash the meat, and put it into a pan. Add enough hot water to cover and bring to a boil. Skim and add 1 teaspoon salt and the bay leaf. Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and cube the potatoes. Scrape the carrots and cut them into pieces. Add to the meat and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through. Remove the meat and vegetables to a plate and keep hot.

Strain and measure the cooking liquid, add 1½ cups of it back to the pan, and bring back to a boil. Mix the flour with the curry powder and butter and add to the stock, stirring until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes and season to taste with pepper and salt. Serve with the meat and vegetables, along with boiled long-grained rice.

Fillet of Lamb with Bilberry Sauce
Lambahryggvöðvi með sveppa- og bláberjasósu
Serves 4

The tender fillet of a young Icelandic lamb is absolutely delicious, with a sweet, herbaceous and delicate taste. The Icelandic sheep are sturdy, free-range animals; they are transferred to the mountainous wilderness in early summer, when the lambs are a month or two old, and there they graze on hardy mountain grasses and herbs until they are rounded up in autumn, so the animals can almost be said to season themselves. And that is all most of the lambs ever eat – no hay or other feed crops, and no grain.

When dealing with a tender, quick-cooking cut like the fillet, care should be taken not to drown the delicate taste of the meat itself by too much spicing, but a small amount of herbs and garlic does nothing but enhance the flavor of the meat.

2 pounds lamb fillet, with a thin layer of fat
Freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Handful of thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup dried wild mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
3-4 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt
½ cup lamb or chicken stock
¼ cup ruby port
½ cup bilberries (or blueberries)
Cornstarch (optional)

Cut the fillet into 3 to 4 inch pieces and score the fat side with shallow crisscross cuts, around ½ inch apart, using the tip of a sharp knife. Season with freshly ground pepper and rosemary. Wrap a few thyme sprigs around each piece and arrange the pieces on a plate, fat side down. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons olive oil on them. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in 1 cup hot water. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes at medium heat, taking care not to brown. Add the mushrooms and their soaking water, bring to a boil, and cook rapidly until reduced to ½ cup.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a heavy ovenproof pan until almost smoking. Salt the meat pieces sparingly, place them in the pan, fat side down, and fry at high heat for 2 minutes. Turn and immediately place the pan in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes.

Add stock and port to the mushroom sauce and continue cooking rapidly for 5 minutes. Add the berries, lower the heat and season to taste. The sauce can be thickened with a little cornstarch, mixed with cold water, if wished.

Arrange the lamb fillet pieces on a heated serving platter and pour some of the sauce over them. Serve the rest of the sauce separately.

Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir