Lamb Cutlets with Cannelini Beans and Leeks

The official title for the beans is actually “Warm leek and white bean salad with mustard dressing” but that seemed just a little too wordy and unnecessary to me so I’ve taken the liberty of abbreviating. I’m pretty sure Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall doesn’t read Dinner Diary so I think I’ll get away with it. I wish he was a reader though because then I could say what I really mean which is: HUGH! What’s with floweriness? It’s not what I’ve come to expect from someone who has a best-selling book named simply “Meat”.

Anyway, this recipe was recommended to me by a friend and seemed perfect for the quick dinner of lamb chops we had planned for tonight. The recipe uses tinned beans which I’m not keen on so I soaked some cannelini beans overnight and cooked those this afternoon, before adding them to the leeks and cooking as per the instructions. I think I need to get over my tinned-bean fear though since I find dried beans can cook rather unevenly which I imagine isn’t an issue with the pre-cooked version.

Despite some of the beans being rather a little on the tough side, this worked really well. The mustard, while not an entirely traditional accompaniment to lamb, was a good match and added a real bite to the beans. The lamb was simply seasoned with salt and pepper and then fried.

Hugh mentions this is a good dish to serve cold and I think it would work well for packed lunches, especially with some good toast.