Sous Vide Lamb Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce, Glazed String Beans & Roasted Sunchokes

Sous Vide Lamb Steaks

Sous vide keeps the lamb evenly rosy, while thorough drying and a very brief sear build a browned crust without overcooking the center.

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless lamb leg steaks, 1–1¼ inches thick
• 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or an equivalent amount by weight
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1½ tbsp ghee

Instructions

1. Heat a sous vide bath to 135°F / 57°C for medium-rare lamb.
2. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Seal in a single layer with the thyme, using separate bags if necessary.
3. Submerge fully and cook for 3 hours. This timing is intended for steaks no thicker than 1¼ inches.
4. Remove the lamb from the bags, discard the thyme, and dry the meat extremely well with paper towels.
5. Heat a large stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the ghee, then sear the lamb in batches for 45–60 seconds per side, briefly searing any fatty edges. Keep the interior rosy and the fond brown rather than black.
6. Transfer to a warm plate while making the pan sauce. Slice across the grain just before serving.

Notes

• For a firmer, more medium interior, use a 140°F / 60°C bath for the same time.
• This is a medium-rare preparation, not conventional 145°F lamb doneness; use a fully cooked preparation for diners who need to avoid undercooked meat.

Red Wine–Shallot Pan Sauce

Wine lifts the lamb fond and softens the shallots into a savory, textured sauce. A small butter finish rounds out the acidity without making the sauce heavy.

Ingredients

• 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• ¾ cup unsalted gluten-free beef or lamb stock
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar, as needed
• to taste kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. After searing the lamb, lower the skillet heat to medium and leave about 2 teaspoons of the cooking fat in the pan. Remove any blackened bits, retaining the brown fond.
2. Add the shallots and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Pour in the wine and scrape up the fond. Add the thyme and simmer until the wine has reduced to roughly one-third of its original volume.
4. Add the stock and any juices from the lamb's resting plate. Simmer until the liquid lightly coats a spoon, about 4–6 minutes.
5. Discard the thyme stems. Remove from the heat and swirl in the cold butter a few cubes at a time. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and enough vinegar to sharpen the finish.

Notes

• Keep the shallots and garlic in the sauce rather than straining them out.
• If the sauce becomes too concentrated, loosen it with a splash of water. Do not boil after adding the butter.

Garlic-Glazed String Beans

A shallow simmer cooks the beans and garlic together, then the remaining liquid emulsifies with butter into a light glaze.

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb green string beans, stem ends trimmed
• 4 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
• ½ cup water
• 1½ tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the beans, garlic, water, butter, and salt in a wide skillet. Bring to a simmer and cover.
2. Cook for 5–7 minutes, tossing once, until the beans are bright green and nearly tender and the garlic has softened.
3. Uncover and cook for 2–4 minutes, tossing frequently, until the water has mostly evaporated and the beans are glossy. Add a splash of water if the pan dries before the beans are tender.
4. Finish with lemon juice and black pepper. Taste for salt and serve promptly.

Notes

• The glaze should cling lightly, not leave the beans sitting in a pool of butter.

Deeply Roasted Sunchokes

Hot roasting gives skin-on sunchokes dark, crisp edges and creamy centers. A little lemon at the end balances their natural sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1½ lb sunchokes
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Scrub the sunchokes thoroughly, trim damaged areas, and dry well; leave the skins on.
2. Cut into roughly 1-inch pieces, halving small sunchokes and quartering larger ones so each has a broad cut face.
3. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Spread on a metal sheet pan in a single layer, with cut sides down and space between pieces.
4. Roast for 25 minutes without moving, then turn and roast for another 10–20 minutes. The cut faces should be deeply browned and the centers easily pierced with a knife; avoid blackening them.
5. Toss with lemon juice just before serving and adjust the salt.

Notes

• Sunchokes are rich in inulin and can cause digestive discomfort; smaller portions may be more comfortable for sensitive diners.

Overall Timing / Workflow

The long sous vide window handles the lamb while the oven and stovetop finish the vegetables. Making the sauce last captures the fresh searing fond.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Heat the sous vide bath, season and bag the lamb, and begin its 3-hour cook once the bath is at temperature.
2. 2:00 — Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Scrub and cut the sunchokes, trim the beans, and slice the sauce aromatics.
3. 2:15 — Put the sunchokes in the oven. Measure the wine and stock, and keep the finishing butter cold.
4. 2:50 — Turn and check the sunchokes. Begin the beans; when tender, remove them from the heat with a little liquid still in the pan.
5. 3:00 — Remove and thoroughly dry the lamb. Sear in batches, then immediately make the pan sauce.
6. While the sauce reduces, briefly rewarm and glaze the beans. If the sunchokes finish early, hold them uncovered in a low oven rather than covering and steaming them.
7. Slice the lamb, finish the sauce with butter, and plate everything on warm plates.

Plating

Keeping the vegetables in distinct groups preserves their textures and lets the red wine sauce stay focused on the lamb.

Instructions

1. Arrange the roasted sunchokes in a loose mound on one side of each warm plate.
2. Lay the glazed beans alongside, distributing the softened garlic over them.
3. Fan thick slices of lamb in the remaining space and spoon the red wine sauce and shallots over the meat, leaving some pink cut surfaces visible.
4. Serve immediately, keeping most of the sauce away from the crisp sunchokes.

Leftover Path

Separate storage allows gentle reheating of the lamb and sauce while the sunchokes regain their roasted edges.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate the lamb, sauce, beans, and sunchokes in separate shallow containers within 2 hours. Use within 3–4 days.
2. Reheat sunchokes in a 425°F / 220°C oven for 10–15 minutes until hot and crisp at the edges.
3. Warm the sauce gently with a splash of water. Add sliced lamb over low heat and warm without boiling; reheating will make the meat less rosy. For standard leftover food-safety guidance, reheat to 165°F / 74°C.
4. Rewarm the beans briefly in a covered skillet with a spoonful of water, then uncover and toss.
5. Alternatively, slice the chilled lamb thinly for a next-day salad with the sunchokes and beans, using a little leftover sauce whisked with lemon juice as dressing.