Here is another dish for all my carnivore friends out there and my friend Conor over at One Man’s Meat who wanted to see some “more complex and exciting stuff.” 😉 It’s a fabulous meal, if I do say do myself. Also, if you make the demi-glace ahead of time, it’s a perfect weeknight meal. Otherwise, make this on the weekend.

This recipe is another one of those multi part recipes. The lamb loin chops are easy, as is the celeriac mash. The classic bordelaise sauce is relatively easy but takes a while because you have to make a demi-glace. Now, some of yo may be wondering what is a demi-glace. Well, a demi-glace is a rich, full flavored brown sauce typically served with red meats. It is primarily used as a base for other sauces. Traditionally, demi-glace was made by first making a rich beef stock. The beef stock is then made into an espagnole sauce (brown sauce). You would then take equal parts of espagnole sauce and rich beef stock, along with a bouquet garni, and let it simmer, skimming constantly, for a 1-1/2 to 2 hours until it has reduced by half. Modern chefs now forego the espagnole sauce and make a rich beef stock which they reduce to a syrupy consistency relying upon the natural gelatins in the bones to produce the desired consistency. This new approach provides a more intense, robust sauce that is lighter on the palate.

When I learned how to cook, we were taught the traditional method. I made demi-glace following the traditional method for 20+ years. Only recently, however, have I started following the modern method. It is the modern approach that is used in this recipe. It takes a while to do and only produces a small amount but the resulting bordelaise sauce is stellar and well worth the time and effort. Of course, you could make a larger amount of demi-glace, freeze it and pull it out as needed. The choice is up to you. Demi-glace will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days and freeze for up to 6 months.

Ingredients

For the Lamb

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 lamb loin chops, 4 – 5 oz each
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup red wine

For the Bordelaise Sauce

• 1 cup red wine
• 6 Tbsp demi-glace
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 tsp Sherry
• 1 Tbsp butter
• salt & pepper, to taste

For the Celeriac Mash

• 1 celeriac, roughly15 oz, peeled and cubed
• 1 russet, roughly 12 oz, peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 c heavy cream
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Instruction

For the Bordelaise Sauce

Before doing anything, get 1 qt of rich beef stock out of the freezer or fridge because you need to make the demi-glace. If you already have demi-glace in the fridge or freezer then you get to move to “GO” and collect $200. 😉

Put 1 qt of rich beef stock in a sauce pan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.

Once it has come to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and reduce the beef stock, skimming occasionally until it has reduced to roughly 1/2 cup, roughly 1-1/2 hour. That’s right 1/2 cup. It’s not an error. I told you it doesn’t make a lot but, because it is intensely flavored, you don’t need a lot. If you want to make enough to keep on hand, follow the directions for Hearty Beef Stock, except double the recipe, to make the initial stock. Reduce the beef stock to 2 cups.

Once you have the demi-glace, heat 1 Tbsp butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.

Now, add the red wine and reduce heat to a simmer.

Reduce the wine until almost evaporated.

Add 6 Tbsp demi-glace.

Taste and season with salt and pepper according to taste. Now, remember, I use unsalted stock in ALL of my recipes. This is a perfect example of why. Can you imagine how salty this dish would be if you salted the stock and reduced it to 1/2 cup? Unless you have an immediate use for your stocks, I strongly recommend you season the stock with salt later because you can always add salt but you can never take it out.

Remove from heat, cover and set aside until ready to serve. When ready to serve, reheat over medium heat, remove from heat and add 1 tsp sherry. I prefer cream sherry but others recommend using dry sherry.

For The Celeriac Mash

Add the cubed celeriac to a pot of salted boiling water and boil for 15 minutes.

Add the cubed russet.

Boil until the russet and celeriac are tender, roughly 15 minutes. Drain water and return cubed celeriac and russet back to the pot. Place over medium-high heat and cook for 1 – 2 minutes to dry out the vegetables. Remove from heat and mash. Add butter and cream. Adjust seasoning, to taste.

For the Lamb Loin Chop

Season the lamb loin chops to taste. Heat a heavy bottom skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat. Add lamb chops to skillet.

Cook for 4 minutes (these were really thick chops) and turn.

Cook another 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup red wine and cover. (sorry- no photo) Cook another 1 – 2 minutes. Remove chops from skillet and allow to rest for 5 minutes. This will give you a beautiful medium rare.

To serve:

Place a mound of the celeriac on a plate. Place 2 chops atop the mash.

Spoon the bordelaise sauce over the chops.

Serve & enjoy!