Ingredients
- 12 lamb loin fillets (about 700 g/1 lb 9 oz in total), trimmed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) unpeeled boiling potatoes, such as pink fir apple or kipfler (fingerling)
- 12 large vine leaves, preserved in brine
Avgolemono sauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 100 ml (3½ fl oz) chicken stock
Method
1. Put the lamb fillets in a bowl with the lemon juice, garlic, allspice and half the olive oil. Mix to coat, then cover and set aside for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, steam or boil the potatoes for 10–15 minutes, or until just tender. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and slice each one in half lengthways. Gently toss in a bowl with the remaining olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Rinse the vine leaves in warm water, drain well, then pat dry with paper towels. Remove any woody stems.
4. Remove the lamb from the marinade and drain well. Lay the vine leaves flat, vein side up, then place a lamb fillet along the base of each leaf. Season the lamb well, then roll up each leaf to enclose the lamb, with the seam underneath.
5. To make the avgolemono sauce, put the eggs, egg yolk and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk together well. In a small saucepan, bring the stock to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon of the hot stock to the egg mixture, whisk to combine, then slowly add the egg mixture to the stock over low heat, stirring continuously. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 4–5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil or it will curdle. Cover and keep in a warm place — but not over direct heat or the sauce will curdle.
6. Meanwhile, preheat a barbecue chargrill plate or chargrill pan to medium. Chargrill the potatoes for 6–7 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove and keep warm. Chargrill the lamb parcels for 1–2 minutes on each side for medium–rare, or until cooked to your liking.
7. Slice the lamb parcels in half on the diagonal. Serve with the potatoes and the warm avgolemono sauce.
