Don’t Worry, I Fixed It.
How many of you make a recipe from a cookbook or an online source (including mine) and think, “Next time I will make this differently.”? And then you proceed to “fix it” and make it your own? That is what cooking is all about. I can’t tell you how many times I have said, “I found this recipe… but don’t worry, I fixed it.”
Today’s is a recipe inspired… er, fixed… by one I found in a wine and food pairing cookbook. Lamb Steaks with Olive Sauce. In all immodesty, the dish is (now) fantastic. I paired it with a 2021 Syrah from Camins 2 Dreams, a woman-owned and run vineyard in Lompoc, California. Read more about the wine on the Provence WineZine.
~ David
Lamb Steaks with Olive Sauce
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar
- 3 teaspoon Dijon mustard, divided
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 teaspoon porcini powder (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon veal demiglace concentrate (see notes)
- 1 cup water
- 12 Castelvetrano olives, sliced (see notes)
- 6 oil-cured olives, sliced (see notes)
Instructions
- Butterfly the piece of lamb so that it lights flat and is fairly even in thickness.
- In a gallon-sized resealable bag, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil with the lemon juice, honey, Sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, herbes de Provence, hot paprika, salt and white pepper. Add the lamb, seal, and mush around in the bag to coat. Let marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
- In a 10-inch skillet, add remaining tablespoon olive oil with the butter and place over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and cook gently until clear. Add the porcini powder and rosemary; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Raise the heat and add the red wine. Boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup (it will start to thicken a bit). Add the broth, demiglace concentrate and 1 cup water; whisk to blend. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously until thickened — about 2/3 cup.
- Stir in the remaining Dijon mustard and sliced olives; remove from heat and set sauce aside.
- Heat a grill to high. Oil the rack and then add lamb; immediately reduce grill heat to medium. Cook 4 1/2 minutes on the first side; turn and grill and additional 4 minutes. It is important to know that cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the lamb steaks and the heat of your grill; use your own timing to get the meat to the right doneness for your taste. Remove meat from the grill, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Reheat sauce. Slice lamb and fan onto the plate. Spoon olive sauce over top and serve. I accompanied the lamb with rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes and a salad. (Halve one pound fingerling potatoes, then drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary. Roast at 450°F for 20 minutes.)
- Serves 6.
- Notes:
- • If you don’t have hot paprika, use 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- • If you don’t have porcini powder, you can grind your own using dried porcini
- • If you don’t have veal demiglace concentrate, leave out the water and use an additional cup of chicken broth
- • Castelvetrano olives are buttery with less acid. You can substitute manzanita olives.
- • Oil-cured olives have a dark, rich, earthy taste. If you cannot find them, I don’t recommend substituting with Kalamata olives, as they are too acidic. Use regular black olives or more Castelvetrano olives.
© 2025 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
FEL!X
March 1, 2025 at 5:34 amWill fix it! Maybe with an other kind of meat: because lamb – I like it very much! – is not easy to get in Thailand!
Thank you for this savoury preparation!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2025 at 6:14 pmI think this would be really a good source for chicken, pork, or beef. I’m pretty sure those are much more available there in Thailand.
Mad Dog
March 1, 2025 at 6:50 amThat looks delicious – I will definitley be cooking your lamb, though pairing it with the wine may be difficult in Europe, but I’m sure I can find something similar.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2025 at 6:14 pmI am sure you will not have any problem finding the perfect wine to pair with this lamb, Mad Dog.
Barb
March 1, 2025 at 8:14 amSounds like a perfect pairing! There will soon be lots of spring lamb available, so am looking forward to trying this “fixed” dish. Lamb is a favorite of ours, so I always appreciate finding new ways to cook it.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2025 at 6:13 pmI do hope that you like it, Barb. We’re having it again soon as we liked it so much. And, as you say, lamb is regularly in the markets now.
angiesrecipes
March 1, 2025 at 12:34 pmLamb and beef are my favourites, having them daily. That steak is perfectly seared, David.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2025 at 6:13 pmThanks, Angie. I love lamb when it’s cooked like this, though I know a lot of people like it more well done.
Eha Carr
March 1, 2025 at 1:42 pmYou know I love your photos – think you have outdone yourself here! And by now you know I could eat lamb most days and the only current difficulty with it here in ‘lamb country’ is its current cost. Interesting recipe where I would be using a few of your alternate ingredient choices because of availability. As one somewhat has to know how to cut leg of lamb I wonder about an alternate choice of lean cutlets?
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2025 at 6:12 pmI’m glad you like the photos, Eha. This dish would work really well with chicken (breast or thighs), a lean cut of pork, or even beef.
Eha Carr
March 1, 2025 at 6:47 pmAPOLOGIES! ‘Lean’ was meant to be ‘lamb’ – as I’m not very cut slicing lamb leg correctly thought the cutlets to be simpler! Expensive yes, but I could not live without the meat 🙂 !
sherry
March 2, 2025 at 3:48 amHubby and I don’t eat lamb but wow this looks so spectacular David. Love your photos and the flavourings here!
cheers
sherry http://sherryspickings.blogspot.com.au/
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2025 at 3:33 pmThanks, Sherry!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
March 2, 2025 at 8:53 amNot sure what it was before, but I certainly wouldn’t need to “fix” your version, David! Looks amazing. And very elegant as well.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2025 at 3:34 pmThanks, Frank — it just needed a bit of tweaking to get it right. You know what I mean!
Ronit Penso
March 2, 2025 at 9:50 amLamb and olives – what a great combination! I especially like the addition of porcini powder. It must have added such wonderful earthy flavor to the sauce. I need to get me some lamb soon! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2025 at 3:35 pmPorcini powder is my secret super power, Ronit — it makes a huge difference in many dishes.
Marcelle
March 2, 2025 at 12:28 pmI have never had olive sauce before, but now that I’ve seen it, I need it in my life!! 💕 Gorgeous!!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2025 at 3:36 pmYes, you do, Marcelle! It’s really delicious.
Valentina
March 2, 2025 at 12:56 pmNow that’s an olive sauce! I haven’t ever had one quite like this, and I love the generous amount of olives and the way they’re cut is perfect — nice big bites to go along with the lamb. I think I’d love it with all sorts of meats and chicken, and even mixed into pasta. Love! 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2025 at 3:36 pmThank you so much, Valentina. I have thought of this as a possibility with chicken, pork, and beef, but pasta? That’s a great idea!
Mimi Rippee
March 2, 2025 at 3:37 pmSo unique! I really don’t think I’ve had olive sauce before, but it sounds wonderful – especially paired with lamb!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2025 at 3:38 pmIt’s a really wonderful combination, and pairs beautifully with the lamb, Mimi.
Jeff the Chef
March 2, 2025 at 3:58 pmWhat an amazing list of ingredients! I’ve never used shiitake powder – that alone makes this a must-try! Plus, I could go for some lamb. Maybe I’ll try this for Easter. Thanks for fixing this recipe!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 27, 2025 at 4:35 pmPowdered mushrooms are a great addition to many dishes, Jeff. I used porcini here but shiitake powder is great, too. Let me know what you think if you try it. Easter is coming, isn’t it? We are doing rack of lamb — my favorite.
2pots2cook
March 5, 2025 at 4:05 amLove it; especially since it could be used with other kinds of meat
Cocoa & Lavender
March 27, 2025 at 4:35 pmUntil others mentioned that, I hadn’t thought of other meats — but it really is versatile, Davorka.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
March 5, 2025 at 4:29 pmPerfectly cooked lamb – so juicy and tender and great flavours. And such a wonderful and elegant presentation!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 27, 2025 at 4:35 pmThank you , Ben — I really apprecaite your kind comment. I love lamb cooked this way, too.
Raymund
March 6, 2025 at 2:41 pmI love the idea of “fixing” a recipe, aking it truly your own! This lamb dish sounds absolutely fantastic, especially with that rich, olive-studded sauce. The depth from the porcini powder and veal demiglace must make it so luxurious.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 27, 2025 at 4:36 pmIt’s a pretty rich and, as you say, luxurious sauce, Raymund. DOn’t you ever look at recipes and wonder what the chef was thinking? I do all the time…
Inger
March 29, 2025 at 12:44 pmYou know that’s the nice thing about something not baked–you have a shot at fixing it right away. But starting at that perfectly cooked lamb, I can’t help but think I need to get on my farmer’s lamb list for the next season (not living by a farmer’s market that has everything known to man).
Cocoa & Lavender
March 29, 2025 at 1:44 pmI need to go back and edit the recipe. I have now made this several times since I wrote the post, and instead of cutting the boneless leg of lamb into steaks, it’s actually easier to do it butterflied!
You really need to get on your farmers lamb list!