Lovebirds’ Lamb with Moonstruck Massaman and Cupid Coconut Potatoes
Serves 4
Valentine’s Day warrants aphrodisiac foods and what could be more romantic than this divinely rich and delicious lamb dish? Get in the mood for love and impress your loved one with this stunning showstopper. Nobody wants to be a slave to the kitchen on Valentine’s Day and with this easy-to-prepare meal, you can ensure you are spending your precious time with the one you love. Show you care and serve this relatively mild curry dish with a simple arrangement of fine green beans.
Why say it with chocolates when you can say it with dinner?
What you need
100g unsalted peanuts
75g Massaman Thai curry paste
130ml organic coconut milk
4 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted
12 lamb cutlets
½ tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1kg sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks
1-2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
200g Coconut Collaborative natural yoghurt
What you do
Place the peanuts in a pestle and mortar or food processor and grind finely.
Heat a small frying pan, and once hot, dry fry the peanuts for approximately two minutes until golden in colour. Keep agitating the pan or the peanuts will catch and burn.
Remove the peanuts from the heat and place in a bowl to one side.
In a separate bowl, combine the curry paste, coconut milk, two tablespoons of the desiccated coconut and half the peanuts to form a marinade.
Place the cutlets in the marinade and coat them well. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, but ideally as long as possible (a few hours to 48 hours).
When you are ready to start cooking, pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
While the meat is marinating, make your spicy oil by placing the ground coriander, ground cumin and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Mix and cook over a low heat for approximately one minute until fragrant.
Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray, drizzle over the spicy oil and season. Place on the top shelf of the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes, not forgetting to turn them over after 15-20 minutes.
Place the lamb cutlets on a baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes. Turn halfway through the cooking time and baste with the sauce. The cutlets are ready once the fat has crisped up and the coating crisps up on the outside of the cutlet.
It may be tempting to lay the cutlets on a rack to allow the juices to drain, but they really do benefit from being cooked in the marinade so that the meat absorbs all the lovely flavours.
Remove the sweet potatoes and the chops from the oven.
Add the remaining two tablespoons of toasted coconut and the remaining quantity of peanuts to the sweet potatoes and stir through.
Serve the chops with the sweet potatoes.
Add the coriander to the yoghurt, stir, and serve on the side of your cutlets.
