Indian Carrot & Lamb Salad

I saw this recipe on an old episode of Jamie at Home and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. It has a lot of ingredients I love: lamb, carrots, Indian spices, but the whole combination is super original and exciting. The star of the show is the raw carrot salad, so I picked up some heirloom varieties at the farmer’s market (although you can use regular orange carrots as long as they are fresh and flavorful) and shaved them with a vegetable peeler into thin ribbons. The salad would make a great side dish on its own, but adding the crispy ground lamb and a dollop of Greek yogurt really rounds out the meal into an interesting entrée. It’s a great way to experiment with new flavors and will certainly add some color to your standard weeknight dinner plans.

Indian Carrot & Lamb Salad:
For Dressing

• Combine the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground fresh ginger, and 4 tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl.
• Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

For Salad

• Trim the tops off of 3 bunches (about 24 total) heirloom carrots,* peel and discard outer skin, and then continue peeling carrots to form long, thin ribbons.
• Meanwhile, add a thin layer of olive oil to a skillet and cook 3/4 lb. ground lamb until no longer pink.
• Add 2 tsp. garam masala** to the lamb, season with salt, and continue cooking until lamb is brown and crispy.***
• Toss the carrots with the dressing, 1/2 very thinly sliced onion, and 1 large handful of fresh, chopped cilantro.
• Divide some of the ground lamb onto plates, then top each plate with some of the carrot salad and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
• Serve with toasted naan bread, if desired.

Serves two - three

*About 1 lb. total of carrots.
**An Indian spice found in most grocery stores.
***My lamb was very lean, but if you have a lot of fat in yours then drain most of it out before serving.