Ways to use mint sauce without having to roast a lamb
My wife adores roast lamb with mint sauce,However, after an online purchasing blunder, my larder now contains six jars,How can I make use of them apart from serving roast lamb every Sunday from now until the crack of doom?John, by emailAs is so often the case, it all starts with a shift in mindset,“When you see a jar of sauce, there’s a real tendency to think, ‘I must use this as a sauce,’” says Kate Young, author of Dinner at Mine? Start treating that surplus mint sauce as an ingredient instead, however, and your life will be a whole lot easier,“If John is planning on using chopped fresh mint with, say, meat, cheese or veg, then consider how you might use mint sauce in its place,” Young adds.
Case in point: pea and mint soup, says Sally Abé of the recently opened Teal by Sally Abé in east London.“Stir in the mint sauce at the end of the cooking, then blitz with the peas.”Obvious, maybe, but it’s also worth pointing out that mint sauce has a decent shelf life, so John can be nice and relaxed in how he chooses to use the fruits of his shopping blunder.That said, sausage rolls are always a good idea, especially if you’re feeding a gang over Easter.Young says: “Put some finely chopped onion through lamb mince, then add big spoonfuls of the sauce.
” Fry a bit of the mix before nestling it in pastry, mind: “You want to be sure the mint is really coming through.” (Likewise, any lamb meatball will be greatly improved by the addition of the green stuff.)The sweetness and acidity of mint sauce also makes it ideal for turning into a glaze for something fatty such as cheese, so this should be your next port of call.“If you were making tabbouleh, for instance, why not add cubes of halloumi brushed with the sauce in the last few minutes of frying,” suggests Sophie Godwin, author of I’ll Cook! “They’ll go nice and caramelised and sticky.” In a similar vein, mint sauce also works a dream in dressings: Young mixes it with chilli and vinegar to serve with grilled halloumi, Abé simply adds oil and dijon mustard to make a dressing for salads and roast veg, while Godwin keeps boiled spuds in mint condition (sorry) by tossing them in a mixture of oil, mint sauce, capers and fresh herbs while they’re still hot.
Mint sauce with roast lamb is a classic for a reason, but have you ever tried it with roast chicken? Young looks to sunnier climes with a Greek-inspired mint sauce and oregano combo, while Godwin brushes her bird with a mix of chopped preserved lemon skin and fresh chilli, maybe some toasted cumin and coriander seeds, and that all-important mint sauce for the last 15 minutes of roasting: “That’s lovely and fresh.”And if all else fails, get a side of raita or tzatziki on the weekly dinner rotation: “Mix mint sauce and cucumber into a bit of Greek yoghurt, then add lemon juice and fresh mint to taste,” Godwin says.“Now, that’s banging.”Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com
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