Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Slow Roasted Lamb Ragu on Potato Noodles

Slow Roasted Lamb Ragu on Potato Noodles [photo]

Do I have Hungarian roots? I must do, buried somewhere deep down, because what I thought was my own clever creation (potato noodles), is in fact an established part of Hungarian cuisine. Who knew?
Yes, the proportions are slightly different and it is normally served with melted butter (a fact which, as you know, I have no problem with), but the basic premise is the same:

Take one measly potato, mix with flour and eggs and behold! Noodly goodness fit for a king!

Or... two hungry couch potatoes on a lazy Sunday afternoon. With enough leftovers for Monday's lunchboxes. Yeah, that sounds pretty good too. The perfect partner for these soft and chewy (think gnocchi) noodles? A rich, tomatoey, subtly spiced lamb ragu. Made with lamb loin chops nonetheless. Unorthodox for sure, but succulent as all hell. Dig in friends!

Potato Noodles [photo]


This forms the main course for my entry into the Ready Steady Cook blog challenge as created by LadyRaven from Add To Taste.

My partner, Tandy, gave me the following list of ingredients to use (in conjunction with the allowed pantry ingredients):

4 x lamb loin chops
1 onion
2 x red apples
1 x bag of baby spinach leaves
1 x orange
1 x packet of sour cherries
1 x potato

Stay tuned to see what starter and dessert I'll conjure up from the remainder of the ingredients.


Slow Roasted Lamb Ragu [photo]

Slow Roasted Lamb Ragu on Potato Noodles
A Creative Pot original
Serves 4


For the lamb ragu:
6** lamb loin chops
1 onion, finely sliced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoky paprika
1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves

For the potato noodles:
1 large potato, cooked and peeled
1 large egg
pinch of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1. For lamb ragu: Place lamb chops in a small oven casserole, then cover with onions. 
2. Mix garlic, cinnamon paprika, chili flakes (if using) and salt with the tin of tomatoes, then pour over the lamb chops. 
3. Push bay leaves into the sauce before placing in the oven to cook at 180C for approximately an hour and a half. When it's done the sauce will have thickened and caramelised and the lamb will be fall-off-the-bones tender.
4. For potato noodles:  Mash the potato and mix with egg, salt and half of the flour. Transfer to a floured surface and gradually knead in the rest of the flour. Cover and allow to rest for 20 - 30 minutes.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out thinly into a somewhat rectangular shape. Fold the bottom quarter of the dough up (longest side), then continue folding until you reach the other end. Slice the folded dough into fairly wide noodles, unfolding the noodles after they are cut. Toss with flour to prevent sticking.
6. When the lamb is almost done, bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add a little bit of olive oil to the water, then drop about half of the noodles in, semi-cover with lid and allow to cook for about 8 - 10 minutes or until the noodles have risen to the top. Test to make sure they are cooked through before removing with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the rest of the noodles.
7. Rinse cooked noodles with luke-warm water, then toss with a teaspoon of olive oil. Divide amongst serving plates and top with lamb ragu. Serve warm.

** I used 4 chops for the challenge meal as stipulated in my ingredient list, but 6 (or even 8) would be more appropriate for the quantity of sauce and noodles.

23 comments:

Heather S-G on August 25, 2010 12:36 am said...

Oh, gorgeous job! This looks so comforting...and delicious! =)

Joanne on August 25, 2010 2:05 am said...

Oh you are a genius! I wonder if I could roll the potato dough through my pasta roller...

Carolyn Jung on August 25, 2010 2:31 am said...

Wow! I am so going to try making those potato noodles. I bet they give the pasta such a lovely, tender texture.

nina on August 25, 2010 5:09 am said...

Well done. Love this idea.....We also had lamb ragu on Monday night, made with left over leg of lamb!!!

Anonymous said...

well done! now that I re-read the list, I see it is quite fruity!

Marisa on August 25, 2010 8:01 am said...

Girlichef - Definitely comfort food!

Joanne - Mmmm think you might have trouble with the potato dough as it's a lot softer, but then I've never used a pasta roller before, so give it a go and let me know how it turns out!

Carolyn - You're right, they give a lovely soft & chewy texture to the pasta.

Nina - Isn't lamb ragu just the best? Lamb is definitely my favourite meat, no question about it.

Tandy - Yup! Starter & dessert will be quite fruit heavy. Luckily I like fruit. :-)

Homemade Heaven on August 25, 2010 9:01 am said...

I love those noodles - I am so going to make them. So original - turning potatoes into pasta. Now you just have to start on the water into wine and you'll be the outright winner!

Marisa on August 25, 2010 9:19 am said...

Rose - I'll have to work on that! :-)

Linda Harding on August 25, 2010 11:04 am said...

Goodness gracious, that looks incredible!

Indonesia Eats on August 25, 2010 3:38 pm said...

Lovely and yummy!

polkadotcupcake on August 25, 2010 4:56 pm said...

I nearly licked my screen when this came through on my reader.. I think spatzle are close to your potato noodle? though the spatzle I've had was more bitty, and less tagliatelle-ish than your lovely looking ones.. MMMMMmmmmmm... What an amazing dish.. Can I have some too, please?

Arnold on August 25, 2010 5:06 pm said...

These noodles are something else. I will never think of potatoes in the same way again. This is something I just have to try. Thanks.

Marisa on August 25, 2010 5:16 pm said...

The Chef-ette - Thank so much! Why don't you try it for yourself? Promise it's not that much work.

Indonesia Eats - Thank you! And thanks for stopping by.

Polkadotcupcake - The texture is somewhat akin to spaetzle, but this one is softer. Although the raw dough is stiffer. Make sense? Yeah, not really. Hehe. Love spaetzle too though! Mebe I'll make this for you when we have that bottle of Magnum, deal?

Arnold - Let me know how it turns out for you!

Sharon on August 26, 2010 9:50 am said...

Yesterday - ek het amper gedog jy het appels en lemoene daarin... (wys jou lees altyd als!!)
Maar dit lyk flippen lekker en maklik! Ek gaan die verseker probeer - hoef darem nie 'n lamsboud etc te gebruik nie - en ek het altyd tjoppies in die yskas! Love the potato noodles ook!!

Julie @ Willow Bird Baking on August 26, 2010 1:24 pm said...

Yum, this looks so comforting and delicious!

Amber on August 26, 2010 7:37 pm said...

I've never had potato noodles, but they look scrumptious!

Sweet Artichoke on August 26, 2010 11:14 pm said...

These potato noodles look awesome, with the same base than gnocchi, they must taste so goooood!! Yum!

Eat the Love on August 27, 2010 3:46 am said...

Oh I LOVE lamb! And I so rarely make my own pasta, but your potato pasta noodles look fantastic. I can almost feel the texture as I mentally bite into them! Thanks for the recipe! Once I get off my lazy ass and start cooking again, I'm totally trying this out...

Spoon and Chopsticks on August 28, 2010 10:13 pm said...

That potato noodles look great! I might give it a try myself. Thanks for sharing.

Hila on August 30, 2010 8:34 am said...

Those potatoe noodles look yummy. Much nicer then the stuff we get in the shop for passover....hmm I think you gave me a great idea

The Duo Dishes on August 31, 2010 7:19 am said...

Wait...that's how you make tater noodles? So easy! And filling too. Beautiful dish.

Claudz on August 31, 2010 11:36 am said...

This looks delish!! you are so creative
Well done!!

Pretty. Good. Food. on September 01, 2010 8:08 am said...

Oh my gosh, this look delicious! And so beautiful! Your photographs are gorgeous.
I've recently launched my own blog, I'd love for you to check it out and let me know what you think :) www.prettygoodfood.com
Thanks, and Happy Cooking!!!

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