Fresh, sweet, tangy, and easy to make. This mint sauce recipe is the perfect accompaniment to roast lamb!
Roast lamb would be the same with mint sauce. It’s fresh and tangy and provides an additional layer of flavor to your roast dinner. Mint sauce to accompany lamb dishes is a distinctly British thing. We have mint jelly. However, the mint sauce is much more well-known.
Lamb was much more fattening than it is today, and the strong flavor of vinegar and mint helped reduce the fat.
Lamb is much slimmer these days. However, it’s still one of the fattiest roasting joints, and even though it is highly flavorful meat, The mint sauce can enhance the flavor.
It’s straightforward to make with only a handful of ingredients.
Leaves of mint You can buy cut leaves that are already cut from the grocery store or even grow your own. You’ll require more than you imagine because the leaves will wilt considerably.
Vinegar – I usually use malt vinegar for mint sauce since it has a milder sweet and sweet taste. But you can also use cider or white wine if that’s what you like.
Sugar Choose a wonderful sugar that can dissolve easily into vinegar.
The steps to prepare the mint sauce
The whole ingredients and recipe are included in the recipe card that follows.
Take the mint leaves off the stalks, then cut the leaves finely with the sharp edge of a knife.
The leaves should be soaked in simmering water for a few minutes and then rinsed.
Add sugar and malt vinegar in a small container that you mix until you dissolve the sugar before adding the mint.
Add one teaspoon of salt, mix well, then let it rest for about 20 minutes for the flavor to develop. Then serve.
What is the reason I need to soak my mint leaves with water?
This can help let the flavor and aroma from the leaves while softening them leave, meaning you don’t have to chew on this mint sauce.
Why not cut the mint and blend it in a blender
It’s easy to over-crush the leaves with blenders – and end up with a heap of mint soup. It’s much easier to control by using knives. It will take about a minute to chop them up finely enough to make the sauce.
INGREDIENTS
One large bouquet of fresh mint – (about 30g/1oz ) or a tin container or leaves)
1.25 cups (240ml) of hot water
Two teaspoons sugar (caster/superfine is the best)
2 tbsp malt vinegar
One teaspoon of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Finely chop mint leaves, removing the stalks.
Place the mixture in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then strain through a filter.
Rinse the leaves with cold water while still within the sieve (to stop the cooking process), and then place them in a small bowl with the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Stir and then leave for 20-30 minutes to develop the flavor. Then serve.
Can I get it done ahead of time
You can go ahead (and store it in a jar covered inside the refrigerator)(store in a covered jar in the fridge), BUT The mint will likely fade in its vibrancy. The mint’s vibrant color will last about an hour or so after mixing with vinegar. The mint turns a duller green, similar to the sauces sold in stores. I typically make my sauce a few hours before serving because the flavor will develop more if it is left longer. How long can it keep in the refrigerator?
I typically cover mine with a lid and keep it in the fridge for about two days, but it could last for a couple of months as long as the leaves are soaked with the liquid and then the dish is kept in a sealed, sterilized glass jar that is held in the refrigerator.
