Lamb Rump with Spicy Merguez Sausage and Spring Greens

Lamb Rump with Spicy Merguez sausage ©Kevin Ashton 2021
Lamb Rump with Spicy Merguez sausage ©Kevin Ashton 2021

For those who don’t know what a lamb rump is or where it comes from, it is located in the hindquarters, cut square from the leg, what was historically called the chump (see diagram below). It is a more modern cut created for chefs who wanted a square cut of lean lamb for their menus.  If you click on the photo it will give you further information.

Lamb diagram Generally speaking, lamb rumps usually weigh around 250 grams (8.8 oz) each. It is gradually becoming more available in supermarkets and good butchers shops, though you may have to source it from an online butcher.

I chose to pair the rump with a spicy lamb sausage which traditionally comes from North Africa or the middle East. This sausage is also popular in France for its intense spicing with harissa and toasted cumin, and is traditionally cooked over coals to accentuate its smoky flavour.  Three lamb rump plus the sausage should serve 4.

Chef’s Tips: Replicating my dish is achievable if you make the components in the order I have (sauce first, then vegetables, then pesto, then potatoes, then the lamb and sausages). Of course always read the whole of the recipe through before you start and remember the pesto is optional.

Lamb Rump and spicy sausages (serves 4)

250g x 3 lamb rump

4 Lamb Merguez sausages

Sauce 

75 g lamb bones

100 ml red wine

2 small carrots chopped

2 small onions chopped

500 ml chicken stock

1 Tbsp tomato puree

1 large clove garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1Tbsp butter

1Tbsp flour

To make the sauce

  1. Roast bones together with carrot, onion and garlic until golden brown at 180 C fan assisted oven.
  2. Transfer the bones and vegetables into a heavy bottomed saucepan together with the butter (on a medium heat) and add the flour and tomato puree and stir well.  In a separate saucepan heat up the chicken stock.
  3. Now add the red wine, again stirring well to prevent lumps. Then gradually add the chicken stock a small amount at a time, to prevent lumps.
  4. By the time you have added all the stock the sauce will be thin, now turn down the heat to very low and reduce the sauce by half.
  5. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer (keeping as much volume of the liquid as possible) and remove from the heat.

Asparagus and Spring Greens

2 bunches of local asparagus

1 kilo spring cabbage or collard greens

  1.  Trim woody ends off asparagus spears approximately 1 inch (25 mm) and discard (or keep for soup).
  2. Blanch the asparagus spears in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then chill in ice water to cool down.
  3. Next cut the spears into 3 inch spears and keep the trim.  Cut the trim into small pieces and reserve to mix into cabbage later.
  4. Cut most of the stork out of the spring greens and steam in salted water for 3-4 minutes, then cool down fast in ice water.  Drain well and mix with the reserved asparagus trim.

Mint Pesto (optional)

30 grams mint leaves

2 small cloves garlic peeled

juice 1/2 lemon large

zest of 1 lemon

40 grams blanched almonds

130 ml E V olive oil

pinch white sugar

1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

  1. Grind the almonds, garlic, lemon zest, sugar and mint leaves in a food processor together with the vinegar until finely chopped. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and the gradually add the olive oil and finally the lemon juice.
  2. The mixture should be pesto consistency, then season with salt and black pepper.

Garlic Mash (4 servings)

900 g potatoes peeled

3 fat cloves garlic peeled

2Tbsp milk

35 g unsalted butter

  1. Cut peeled potatoes into even sizes and place in a saucepan of cold water together with garlic.
  2. Bring to a simmer on a medium heat and season with salt.
  3. Cook until all the potatoes are tender and then drain well. Return the saucepan to the stove, on a low heat and dry the potatoes before mashing.
  4. Once mashed and smooth (no lumps) then mash in the butter and milk and adjust the seasoning.
  5. Keep warm.

Cooking Lamb Rumps & Merguez sausage

  1. Preheat your oven 180 C (fan assisted) and add a 1/2 Tbsp olive oil to your frying pan.
  2. Sear the lamb rumps in the hot frying pan on all sides, until meat is lightly brown and the fat brown too.
  3. Place the rumps fat side down and move the frying pan to your oven.
  4. In a separate pan or grill cook the spicy lamb sausage until golden brown for about 12 minutes, and keep warm.
  5. Cook the lamb rumps for about 12 minutes until you have an internal temperature of 50-52 degrees C and then rest.

To Finish the dish

  1. Use a single long strand of spring cabbage to wrap each portion of Asparagus into bundles.
  2. Now heat up sauce, asparagus bundles, cabbage and garlic mash.  Pipe mash in conical domes leaving a little space at the top for the mint pesto (see photo).  Place heated spring greens onto the plate using a cookie cutter to keep it in a disk shape.
  3. Add the asparagus bundle and three to four slices of the lamb.
  4. Cut the spicy lamb sausages up at an angle into pieces and place 3-4 neatly onto each plate.
  5. Using a dessert spoon, carefully spoon some of the sauce around the meat.

©Kevin Ashton 2021
All rights reserved. No content on this website including, but not limited to, text and photography may be reproduced without prior explicit written consent.

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24 thoughts on “Lamb Rump with Spicy Merguez Sausage and Spring Greens”

    1. Yes I had to find a local butcher who made them for me. He is now selling them in his shop and said they selling really well. You can find them in places online and even Amazon if you are having trouble.
      Best Wishes
      Kevin

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. I guess that is partly due to historical reasons of how large ranchers drove sheep herders off the land in the 19th Century. Also, at the end of WW II returning American soldiers swore off lamb after having been fed tinned mutton whilst fighting in Europe.
      But I’m told lamb is now becoming more available in US supermarkets.

      The pandemic has been a roller coaster ride for US lamb producers. At first, lamb sales fell through the floor because so much of the lamb produced was for the hotel/restaurant industry, losing as much as 50% overnight.

      But then, just like in the UK, Americans began to spend their “eating out” money on better quality meat, so in the last 12 months lamb sales have increased by 28% and this jump in sales has been driven by younger adults. So hopefully more Americans will grow to love lamb.

      Best Wishes

      Kev

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    1. Hi Noelle,
      Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil. That said the Merguez sausages I bought were spicy but quite mild, I still could taste the lamb, just pleasantly spicy to add a different dimension to the dish.
      Best Wishes
      Kevin

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much.
      I haven’t done any lamb recipes for some time, so I wanted to make this one special. I love the combination of the mint pesto and the spicy sausage. I hope you and your family are well and staying safe. This pandemic seems endless but we hope it comes mostly to an end this year.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Thanks Steve, your kind and thoughtful words are appreciated. I get my wife to proof read my posts not only to make sure I have removed any spelling mistakes but to others can understand what I am trying to explain and share with them.

      Best Wishes
      Kevin

      Like

      Reply

  6. Looks delish. I like making mashed potatoes with Durkee Fried Onions, cream cheese, butter, milk salt and pepper. Will make them for dinner tonight with grilled salmon.

    Just ate a really good home made cinnamon, raisin, walnut bread that I baked yesterday. I used wheat flour, rye flour and bread flour to make it more nutritious. We had grilled cheese sandwiches with it for lunch today. Comfort food.

    Hope things are good in England. I heard the border to Germany opened to some people recently.
    Take care and thanks for the recipe.
    Teri

    Like

    Reply

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