Grilled Fillet of Lamb with Burnt Leeks and Pickled Angelica

I don’t know if I have ever experienced such a cool way to cook a dish as when I made this recipe, meat cooked in the heat from a volcano. But even if you don’t have a volcano, the dish is wonderful – with a wonderful balance between the deep, gamey meatiness of the lamb, the sweetness of the leek and the aromatic angelica. If you can’t find angelica, you can sauté a little bit of chopped celery with a little thyme and a teaspoon of honey. It’s not completely the same, but very good nonetheless.

INGREDIENTS:

Number of servings

Servings: 2 as main course, 4 as a starter

List of ingredients

1 lb. (450 g) lamb sirloin with the fat

1 leek

Salt

1-2 tbs. pickled angelica

PREPARATION:

• Take the meat out of the fridge about 1 hour before cooking it.

• Light a BBQ kettle grill, with one hot zone and one slightly cooler zone.

• Divide the leek into four pieces and pack the pieces into a double layer of aluminum foil. Place them directly over the coals.

• Cut a checked pattern in the layer of fat on the meat. Cook over high, direct heat for a few minutes until the meat is nicely brown all over. Transfer the meat to the indirect cooking zone, put the lid on, and allow it to continue cooking for a further 4-5 minutes until the core temperature is somewhere between 136-140 Fahrenheit (58 and 60 Celsius) for medium. Allow it to stand for a few minutes before cutting it.

• Fish out the leek using BBQ tongs. It should be fairly burnt on the outside and soft inside.

• Cut the meat into slices and arrange on plates with the burnt leeks and pickled angelica. Finish by sprinkling with a bit of salt.