With flavours borrowed from Greece and the Middle East to cut through the richness of the lamb, this is a great Easter Sunday lunch dish
When it comes to dinner parties, cooking a leg or shoulder of lamb is always a good idea – but for a special occasion, such as Easter Sunday lunch, I like the more refined lamb fillet. It has little fat and is ideal for cooking either whole or cut into thick noisettes. This recipe fulfils my personal fantasy of lamb loins individually wrapped in a flaky, buttery, burnished pastry. The stuffing of lactic feta and mouth-puckering sumac borrows flavours from Greece and Lebanon, tart enough to cut through the richness of the red meat. Serve with new potatoes and wilted spinach.
Serves 4
boneless lamb loin fillets 4 × 100g
olive oil 3 tbsp, plus extra for brushing
red onions 3, thinly sliced
thyme 3 sprigs, leaves picked
soft brown sugar 1 tsp
red wine 100ml
feta cheese 150g, well-drained and crumbled
sumac 2 tsp
pine nuts 40g
chopped mint a handful
ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry 1 x 375g sheet
egg yolks 2, lightly beaten
sea salt and black pepper