Lamb fillet with quails’ eggs and spring leaves

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
10 to 30 mins

Serves
Serves 2

By Gennaro Contaldo
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the salad

2 celery stalks, sliced lengthways into small julienne strips
100g/3½oz green beans, cut into quarters
100g/3½oz young spinach leaves, washed
100g/3½oz rocket leaves, washed
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the lamb fillets and quails’ eggs

500g/1lb 2oz lean lamb fillet
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
4 thyme sprigs
60g/2¼oz butter
8 quail’s eggs

Method

To make the salad, put the celery stalks in a bowl of cold water until they curl up. Cook the green beans in a pan of boiling, salted water for 2–3 minutes until tender, then drain.
Combine the cooked green beans, spinach, rocket and celery in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss well with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
To make the lamb fillet and quails’ eggs, season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and thyme and allow the aromatics to infuse the oil.
Fry the lamb fillet for about 3 minutes on each side to have it medium-rare, and add another minute for medium. When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove and rest until ready to serve.
Empty the frying pan out, and melt the butter in the pan over a medium heat. Fry the quails’ eggs until they’re just set, but with a runny yolk.
To serve, slice the lamb fillet, and arrange on a platter or individual serving plates, with the salad and quails’ eggs. Serve immediately.