This lamb rump recipe by Kenny Tutt is all about simple, fresh flavours and quality ingredients. Lamb steaks are beautiful cooked to a blushing medium rare, but you can cook them to your preferred doneness using the temperatures below.

We are so lucky in the UK to have such quality lamb. As a treat, buy the best you can and always ask your butcher to take the rumps directly off the chump.

Lamb was a bit of a nemesis of mine on MasterChef before the days of cooking to temperature and leaving things to chance. It is very easy to both overcook or undercook lamb on the quest for perfect blush pink meat.

Served with light whipped feta and pan-roasted courgette this makes for a simple but impressive meal.

• Prep: 15-10 minutes
• Cook time: 15-20 minutes​
• Difficulty: Easy​

How to cook lamb rump steaks

The best way to cook perfect rare, medium or well done lamb rump steaks is to use an instant-read meat thermometer like the Thermapen. Cooking to temperature, not time, will ensure you get the colour and texture you're after. Cook your lamb to the following temperatures:

Rare lamb: 52°C

Medium lamb: 60°C

Well done lamb: 71°C

Ingredients

• 4 good quality lamb rumps (approx. 200-250g each)
• ½ cut bulb of garlic
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• Good sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• A knob of butter
• Rapeseed or vegetable oil
• 200g feta
• 100g creme fraiche
• A handful of mint, finely chopped
• A good grate of lemon zest
• 2 medium courgettes cut lengthways
• Squeeze of lemon

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 180 ºC/350 ºF or gas 4. Take your lamb rumps out of the fridge and allow 15-20 minutes to come to room temperature. This helps with a nice even cook.
• Whilst the lamb is coming to room temperature, whip up the feta, creme fraiche, mint, and lemon in a mixing bowl until nice and airy ready to garnish your lamb.
• Carefully score the top fat of the rumps in a crisscross pattern with a nice sharp knife to allow the fat to render down.
• Rub the rumps with a little oil and season well with salt and black pepper. Place your pan on a medium/high heat and once hot place the rumps skin-side down to be met with a nice sizzle. Cook on this side for 2-3 minutes until you have nice golden rendered fat.

• Turn the rumps over and add the butter, garlic, and rosemary. Baste the lamb with the foaming butter and gently brown on all sides.
• Place the rumps in the preheated oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness on your Thermapen. I went for 60-65 ºC which took around four minutes but check after three. Once at temperature take the rumps out of the oven and place on a chopping board to rest.

• Whilst resting place the courgettes flesh-side down in the same pan with the lamb cooking juices and cook for a few minutes until caramelised and golden. Finish with a little lemon juice.
• Once rested, slice your lamb rumps and serve with a generous spoon of whipped feta and the pan-cooked courgette. This goes very well with a nice saline dry white wine like a Greek Assyrtiko.

Kenny Tutt

Masterchef Champion 2018

"Thermapens are crucial to my cooking both at home and at my restaurant, so I'm delighted to be working on some new recipes to showcase what they can really do."