Carla La Tella
Food & Wine

Crumbed Lamb Cutlets with Vegemite

Jazz up your lamb cutlets this Xmas with these simple yet delicious homemade breadcrumbs and my secret ingredient; vegemite, which takes the overall flavour to the next level!

Whenever we have family or friends visiting, I turn to making lamb cutlets as they’re easy to cook with, taste delicious and my go-to little hack to help them go further is by crumbing them. I know it can be so easy to resort to pre-made or panko breadcrumbs but these homemade breadcrumbs are truly worth it. But what makes this recipe extra special is the use of vegemite. I know that may sound weird but let me put it this way for you… you would pair lamb with anchovy so why not vegemite? It’s a great anchovy replacement and has a rich depth of umami flavour that is perfectly paired with lamb. 

You can also cook these lamb cutlets three different ways: in the oven, airfryer or my favourite way, shallow fried in extra virgin olive oil – AND the best part, they take 15 mins max to prep and cook. Something we all need when welcoming family members round.

Makes 10 - 12 cutlets Serves 4

Ingredients

Raddico, Watercress and Feta salad

● 1 raddico

● 1 bunch watercress

● 2 cups peas

● 100g feta

Lemon Honey Dressing

● ½ cup olive oil

● 2 tablespoons honey

● ¼ cup lemon juice

● 1 garlic clove finely sliced

● Zest from 2 lemons

● Salt and pepper

Vegemite toast crumb lamb cutlets

● 10 - 12 lamb cutlets

● 6 slices of white sandwich loaf

● 1 tablespoons vegemite

● 2 eggs

● 1 garlic clove crushed

● 1/2 cup flour

● 1 teaspoon salt

● 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

● ½ bunch fresh parsley roughly chopped and stalks discarded

● ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped

● Extra Virgin Olive oil

Method -

Raddico, Watercress and Feta salad

1. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl. For the dressing, combine all ingredients into

a jar and shake well. Dress the salad and sprinkle with feta.

Vegemite toast crumb lamb cutlets

1. Lay the bread out onto a baking tray and leave it to dry out overnight. It’s important your

bread has been dried out as this will give you the crispiest breadcrumbs.

2. In a shallow wide bowl, whisk your eggs and garlic together.

3. Place several lamb cutlets at a time between two pieces of baking paper. Using the smooth side of a mallet pound the cutlets, until roughly 2cm thick throughout. This step is to ensure the lamb cooks at an even rate.

4. Spread the vegemite onto one side of the bread. Roughly tear apart your bread and

place into a food processor with the parsley and rosemary. Blend until the bread is

chunky and the herbs have been mixed through. Place your breadcrumbs into a bowl.

5. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. Begin with your flour, followed by the egg wash, breadcrumbs and finish with a large clean plate to place the cutlets. Take one lamb cutlet and coat both sides evenly with the flour, place into the egg wash, coat both sides evenly. Lastly, place into the breadcrumb mixture applying pressure with your hands when you flip the lamb over to ensure the breadcrumbs are evenly coated all over. Set aside and repeat with the remainder of the cutlets. Place the lamb into the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to set and bring the meat to a cold temperature.

6. In a large frying pan, add 2 - 3cm of olive oil and bring to heat. Turn the heat down to low- medium and fry 1 - 2 pieces of lamb at a time for 3 minutes on one side and then 2.5 minutes on the other or until they are golden and crispy. Place the lamb cutlet onto a cooling rack.

7. Enjoy with the raddico, watercress and feta salad.

Image: Supplied

Tags:
Recipes, Lamb, Christmas recipe, Lamb cutlets, Homemade dinner