Rick Stein’s Breaded lamb and red cabbage

I don’t know why, but until I went to Iceland I had never considered cooking lamb chops in breadcrumbs. There it’s almost the most common way of preparing them.

This dish is particularly lovely when made with tender, best end chops. The lamb is gently cooked in clarified butter in a pan, and the essential accompaniment is a special spiced red cabbage, using fresh blueberries and bramble jelly as well as apple, onion, vinegar and sugar. Serve with boiled potatoes rolled in melted butter and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Serves Eight

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Ingredients

For the lamb chops

  • 8 large best end chops
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Plain flour, for coating
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 100g dried white
  • Breadcrumbs
  • 60g Clarified butter, for frying
  • 2 tbsp vegetable/rapeseed oil

For the spiced red cabbage

  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 60g butter
  • 1 red cabbage (around 750g–1kg), finely shredded
  • 1 large Bramley apple, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 50ml red wine vinegar
  • 60g fresh blueberries
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp bramble jelly or jam, or redcurrant jelly
  • 3 cloves
  • 5cm cinnamon stick
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 20 turns black peppermill
  • 125ml water

Method

  1. First make the spiced cabbage. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage, cook for 2 minutes, then add the apple, vinegar, blueberries, brown sugar, jelly or jam, cloves, cinnamon stick, salt, pepper and water.

  2. Cover with a well-fitting lid and cook until softened, about an hour. After 45 minutes, check the liquid and, if it is drying out, add a splash more. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, remove the lid and evaporate off the excess. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before serving.

  3. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Toss in plain flour, then dip in beaten egg and finish by coating all over with breadcrumbs. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan until hot, then fry the chops until golden all over and cooked through, about 7 to 8 minutes per side.