The cut
Derived from the loin and cut from the rack, the cutlet is made up of the eye of loin muscle, a rib bone and a cap of fat. During cooking, the cap helps the cutlet retain moisture and imports a rich flavour into the meat. Versatile and easy to cook, cutlets are tender and suit high-temperature cooking methods such as pan fry or barbecue.
How to cook
Best cooking methods – Pan-fry, BBQ
Trim most of the fat from the lamb cutlets. Rub lamb with a little oil and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place lamb cutlets into a hot frying pan and sit standing up on the rim of fat – you will need to use tongs to do this. Cook for a couple of minutes until the fat becomes golden and crispy, then lay flat in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes per side for meat that is just pink. Cook for a couple more minutes if you prefer your lamb more well done. Remove with tongs and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
If using a barbecue, preheat the grill until it is piping hot. The meat should sizzle on contact. Let the cutlet cook on one side until moisture appears, then turn once using tongs after 3 minutes allowing the other side to cook for another 3 minutes judging on the thickness of the cutlet. Soft and springy will produce a medium-rare result, while firm and springy will produce medium, and firm for well done.
Information used with permission from www.recipes.co.nz