Grass-fed lamb, perfectly seasoned with an array of herbs and spices, is the key to these tasty tea sandwiches. Pictured with our Cucumber-Watercress Canapés.
Roast Lamb Salad Tea Sandwiches with Pistachio-Mint Pesto
Serves: 9
Ingredients
- 1 (1.21-pound) Frenched rack of grass-fed lamb
- 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 3⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 1⁄4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 6 slices brioche sandwich bread
- Pistachio-Mint Pesto (recipe follows)
- 1 cup chopped butter lettuce
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut away silver skin from lamb, if necessary. Season all sides of lamb with garlic salt, 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, rosemary, and oregano. Wrap seasoned lamb well in foil and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 450°.
- Unwrap lamb and place on a rimmed baking sheet, ribs curving down, meat side up.
- Roast lamb in the oven until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 145°, approximately 30 minutes. Let meat cool for 30 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, cut lamb rack between rib bones into chops. (If meat is too pink, brush a sauté pan with olive oil, heat pan, and sear lamb chops just until pink is gone and meat is lightly browned.) Cut meat away from bones into lamb medallions. Coarsely chop meat. (This should yield approximately 1 1⁄3 cups chopped meat.)
- Place chopped meat in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until meat is finely chopped, being very careful not to overprocess meat.
- In a medium bowl, stir together finely chopped meat, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and remaining 1⁄8 teaspoon ground pepper until combined. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, if needed, to achieve a spreadable consistency.
- Spread a thin layer of butter onto brioche slices. Spread an even layer of Pistachio-Mint Pesto over butter. Spread a thick, even layer of lamb salad over pesto onto 3 brioche slices. Cover lamb with an even layer of lettuce. Cover lettuce layer with remaining 3 brioche slices, pesto side down, to make 3 whole sandwiches.
- Using a serrated bread knife in a gentle sawing motion, trim and discard crusts from sandwiches.
- Cut each sandwich into 3 rectangles to yield a total of 9 rectangular tea sandwiches. Serve immediately, or cover with damp paper towels, place in a covered container, and refrigerate until serving time.
Pistachio-Mint Pesto
Serves: ½ cup
For a perfect complement to the lamb in our Roast Lamb Salad Tea Sandwiches, fresh mint and parsley replace the usual basil in this pesto, which uses pistachios instead of the typical pine nuts.
Ingredients
- 2 (0.5-ounce) packages fresh mint leaves (1 cup loosely packed)
- 1⁄3 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1⁄3 cup roasted unsalted pistachios
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese*
- 1⁄4 cup plus 1⁄2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove and discard stems from mint and parsley.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together mint, parsley, pistachios, lemon juice, cheese,1⁄4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper until somewhat smooth.
- Transfer pesto to a small glass container. Drizzle remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil on surface of pesto. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto pesto. Refrigerate until needed. Stir pesto before using.
Notes
*We used a Microplane zester to achieve a light, wispy texture.
Make-Ahead Tip: Pistachio-Mint Pesto can be made up to a day in advance. Stir pesto before using.
Make-Ahead Tip: Pistachio-Mint Pesto can be made up to a day in advance. Stir pesto before using.
