Fried Lamb with Eggplant and Kashkaval Cheese

Turkish fried lamb with mashed eggplant recipe

5 from 1 vote

Fried Lamb with Eggplant and Kashkaval Cheese

A traditional Turkish dish of braised fried lamb on a bed of creamy mashed eggplant with kashkaval cheese, mint and pomegranite.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Turkish

Keyword: Eggplant, Goat, Lamb

Servings:

Calories: 513kcal

Equipment

1 Grill or oven
1 Braising pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

Lamb

¼ cup rendered lamb tallow plus more for browning the lamb before serving
1 lb lamb stew meat
2 cups lamb or meat stock

Eggplant

2 medium to large Italian eggplant
1 small 1 teaspoon clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup goat or whole milk
1 tablespoon all purpose flour sifted
4 oz grated kashkaval cheese
Kosher salt and pepper
Fresh grated nutmeg to taste
For serving
Fresh torn mint leaves
Fresh pomegranate seeds
Extra virgin olive oil for garnishing

Instructions

Lamb

Pat the lamb dry. Season the lamb with ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper and mix. Heat half of the oil in a dutch oven or a deep oven-safe skillet.
Preheat the oven to 237F.
Working in batches, brown the lamb well on one side, then transfer to a bowl. Pour off any oil from the pot and discard. Add the stock to the pan, scraping up the browned bits, then add the lamb back to the pot, cover, and bake at 275 F for one hour. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Eggplant

Start a wood grill, then cook the eggplants directly on the hot coals, turning every few minutes, until tender, about 10 minutes. You can also bake the eggplants with the oven temperature at 300F for 1 hour. Transfer the eggplants to a bowl to cool.
Put the eggplants on a cutting board and remove the skin. Cutting the eggplants in half can make peeling easier. Discard the charred skin, then cut the eggplant flesh into 1 inch squares.
Heat a 3 quart or similar sized pan with the butter, then add the eggplant pulp and sweat on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, mashing it up as you go with a wooden spoon, until you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir and some liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle in the flour and mix to combine, then cook for 5 minutes more.
Do not allow the bottom of the pan to darken--if the mixture starts to stick, add the milk. Add the goat or other milk and mix well, then cook until slightly thickened and the mixture looks like mashed potatoes.
Turn off the heat and stir the cheese into the eggplant just before serving. Double check the seasoning for salt and pepper, adjust until it tastes good to you, then reserve.

Serving

Drain the lamb pieces, reserving the cooking liquid to make soup. Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a 10 inch or similar sized skillet, pat the pieces of lamb dry, then add the lamb to the pan and cook until browned and crisp on one side.
Spread out the hot mashed eggplant in a wide bowl or serving dish. Spoon the lamb into the center, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh pomegranate seeds, and fresh torn mint leaves.

Video

Notes

Variation Lamb in Tomato Sauce

Instead of using stew meat, cook ground lamb with garlic, onion and chopped tomatoes until thick. you can add a small (1inch) piece of cinnamon stick if you like. Season to taste, add some torn fresh mint leaves and serve the lamb mixture on top of the eggplant. Garnish with pine nuts.

Nutrition