Summer Lamb with Fennel and Roasted Nectarines | Clodagh McKenna

Over the past 15 years, Clodagh McKenna has become one of the most recognized faces and brands in Ireland’s Food & Lifestyle sectors. This comes as no surprise to us! She is easily one of the most charming and charismatic people we’ve had the pleasure to meet here at Heritage Foods USA. Clodagh was kind enough to sit down with Alexes and Phillip on Heritage Radio Network’s, The Main Course, to talk about her most recent book, Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen. Listen to the full interview HERE at HeritageRadioNetwork.org and enjoy her recipe for Summer Lamb Chops!

Summer Lamb with Fennel and Roasted Nectarines

from Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen by Clodagh McKenna

The aniseed flavor of fennel and the sweetness of rosemary work really well with lamb cutlets, but you could use this marinade for a whole leg of roast lamb. Sweet, roasted nectarines are a great companion to any lamb dish. I coat my nectarines (or peaches) with apple syrup, but you could use a good-quality maple syrup instead. These nectarines could also be served as a dessert with mascarpone or softly whipped cream.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the lamb:

1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1/2 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped plus more to serve
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thick lamb cutlets (about 3.5 ounces each)

For the nectarines:

3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon High Bank Orchard syrup or good quality maple syrup
2 nectarines, halved and pitted

For the salad:

1 head baby romaine lettuce, leaves separated and coarsely torn
1 1/2 cups loosely packed mixed salad greens
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a skillet, dry-roast the fennel seeds over medium heat for 30 seconds, then finely chop. Place in a large bowl, along with the rosemary, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Add the lamb cutlets to the bowl and toss to coat, then let marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
4. Prepare the nectarines: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and syrup together over low heat and stir. Place the nectarines on the foil-lined sheet and drizzle with the syrup mixture. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until tender.
5. Heat a large grill pan over medium–high heat. Grill the lamb cutlets, turning once, until charred and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Just before serving, scatter with extra rosemary.
6. Make the herb salad: In a large bowl, combine the salad greens. In a small bowl, beat together the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and mustard to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle over the salad, and toss to coat. Serve with the lamb and sweet nectarines.

Over the past 15 years, Clodagh McKenna has become one of the most recognized faces and brands in Ireland’s Food & Lifestyle sectors.

With her passion for food combined with her business savvy, Clodagh has developed her brand into an emerging business empire encompassing Clodagh’s Kitchen restaurants, her television shows, cookbooks and her food column in Ireland’s number 1 glossy magazine, The Gloss. She is regularly asked to contribute to food columns in national newspapers and magazines.

More recently Clodagh has taken the US by storm with her hugely popular US show, Clodagh’s Irish Food Trails which aired on PBS and Create TV reaching audience levels of 15 million.

In addition to the series, Clodagh successfully published three of her cookbooks in the US; Homemade, Clodagh’s Kitchen Diaries, and most recently Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen. Look for it on shelves in 2015!

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