Lamb salad with eggplant & watercress

This is one of our favourite salads which I am sure, if you’ve been to lunch at our place in the Summer you have eaten.  Everyone loves it, this is an old Gourmet Traveller recipe from December, 1997 which I have altered a little and proves that a good combination of flavours never dates.  It is only a balsamic dressing but the combination with the chilli, eggplant and lemon really works.

A perfect salad for Australia Day or Anzac Day, use lamb backstraps and cook on the BBQ until just medium rare and rest for at least 15 minutes.  The Autumn weather in Sydney is so warm we are still enjoying more outdoor eating 🙂

Ingredients:  Serves 4-6

2 long lamb backstrap fillets, trimmed if necessary
Olive oil
2 tsp cumin
salt & pepper

2 eggplants, cut into 1.5cm thick slices, salted and rinsed
1 bunch watercress, leaves removed
1 bunch coriander
handful of baby rocket
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
1½ small fresh red chillies, finely chopped and seeded if required
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp chopped preserved lemon

Dressing:

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, chopped garlic and thyme leaves to taste

Method:

1. Oil eggplant slices and cook on the BBQ until well coloured.  Remove and set aside.
2. Bring lamb to room temperature.  Rub with salt, pepper and cumin and BBQ until just medium rare approximately 8 minutes.  Set aside to rest.
3. For the dressing, put everything into a screw top jar and shake well.  Taste.  Set aside while you prepare the salad.
4. Pick watercress off stems and combine with rocket, coriander, chilli, onion and lemon rind.  Once the eggplant has cooled a little cut into chunks and add that to the salad.
5. Toss with most of the dressing.
6. Slice the lamb and place on the top of the salad and pour over the remaining dressing.  Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Fabulous served with fresh, crusty bread and a fabulous Pinor Noir, Stephanie The Gnome with Rose Tinted Glasses from d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale.