Epicure Recipe Card #23: Roast Lamb Rump with Anchovy Cream Sauce


This has definitely been the funniest recipe card I have attempted thus far. I started off as I usually do: I read the list of ingredients carefully and was thinking about how to alter the sauce to do away with the cream (it upsets my stomach). I was all ready to try my hand at roasting a rump of lamb, having previously only ever roasted lamb racks, when I discovered that there was no recipe for roast lamb rump at all!

Upon turning over the recipe card – the side which normally has the recipe’s cooking instructions – there is no recipe to be found, but only a short blurb outlining how much meat to allow for each person. Instead there is a recipe for Anchovy Chilli Butter directly underneath this blurb, so I go with the flow of things and make this instead. And how could I not when I love both anchovies and chillies.


For those who don’t like anchovies, I’m afraid I can’t offer an apt substitute suggestion to obtain the same sort of pungent salty flavour. You could try olives, but make sure they’re well-drained as they contain much more moisture than anchovies. The amounts of ingredients specified below are actually half that on the recipe card, and I found even so that resulting amount could easily serve four people. We had the butter with pan-fried lamb cutlets and some roast vegetables. There being only Monsieur Poisson and myself to feed means that I had plenty left over either for another meal, or I reckon it would make a pretty mean version of garlic bread too. Mmmm…


Anchovy Chilli Butter
(adapted from The Age – Epicure 50 Best Recipe Cards, recipe by Jill Dupleix)

Ingredients:
·         75g butter, softened
·         4 anchovies, mashed with a fork
·         1 small red chilli, seeds removed & finely chopped
·         1 garlic clove, crushed

Method:
Whip butter lightly with a fork to fluff up slightly before folding in anchovies. Mix in chilli and garlic thoroughly. Serve with grilled meats, cooked vegetables or spread onto crusty bread. Leftover butter can be stored in small airtight container in the fridge.

happy cooking!

14 comments:

  1. Mmmm great looking butter. That would taste great too on top of a barbecued steak.

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  2. I bet that butter tasted amazing with the potatoes! mmmm. nomnomnom

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  3. how bizarre - looking at the recipe card, it says it's for lamb rump; i would've thought the same too!

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  4. the boy loves anchovies! sounds tasty sunbeam!

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  5. Hehee, what a funny recipe card! Was there a recipe for the anchovy cream sauce too, or only the anchovy chilli butter?

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  6. indeed, this recipe card was confusing! I love anchovies and this butter just looks delicious!

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  7. Shock. Horror.....wow. Do you think it was an error? or was the intention to have the Anchovy butter on the card? And pray ask me how I expect you to know :-). The butter looks good!

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  8. Whoa - the anchovy chilli butter sounds divine! I agree with Mark... I'm just daydreaming about it on a big piece of chargrilled steak now!

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  9. Haha, too funny! Maybe they're trying to get you to be more self sufficient. Here, buy this stuff then do something with it and make this picture! It's very MasterChef.

    Anchovy chilli butter sounds awesome. I reckon it'd be an interesting kick with poached eggs on toast in the morning! With parmesan maybe? It's wake you up :)

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  10. LOL that is funny, you need to turn your cards over earlier I think :p. Good thing you had all the ingredients on hand to make that wonderful looking anchovy butter.

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  11. Hurrah! Well done, you appear to have recreated the secret Masterchef challenge to the tee!

    Your taters look delectable..and really, a pox be on anyone who does not like the old anchovy.

    Ps. My tummy doesn't make friends with dairy either but then I discovered Lacteeze...pop one before some dairy consumption and all your woes are over. I'm on cheese platters these days like you wouldn't believe.

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  12. Hey Mark, right up there with cafe de Paris butter, I reckon!

    Hey Amy, it really was nice with the potatoes! All melty and it could be mashed in =D

    Hey Panda, the card front says lamb rump and even lists ingredients to make it but...no instructions!

    Hey Suze, luckily both the husband and I love anchovies too! (because they have bags of flavour =p)

    Hey Agnes, no anchovy cream sauce recipe and no lamb rump recipe - just the anchovy chilli butter!

    Hi Laetitia, thanks for dropping by! This is definitely the most confusing recipe card I have come across but at least the butter is nice.

    Hey Kitchen Butterfly, it's weird...and now I wonder if any other of the recipe cards are like this too! In any case, the butter is good which is a consolation.

    Hey Jen, I think the butter would be pretty nice with roast chicken as well. Or stuffed under the skin and roasted?

    Hey Conor, it is a bit Masterchef! I'm not quite up to the challenge of roasting a portion of lamb without temperature or duration instructions but I suppose there's always the internet...

    Hey Sara, think I will be reading both sides of these recipe cards for preparation in future!

    Hey Lori, haha, it was an odd one to say the least! I don't have a problem with dairy generally, just cream...and when it's savoury like in a soup or sauce. For some reason if it's on sweets, I'm ok!

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  13. I'm already imagining that anchovy chilli butter spread on bread..mm..

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  14. Hey Y, I still have a small portion left in the fridge awaiting some crusty bread... =D

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