How to make grilled lamb steak sandwich with whipped feta, roasted aubergine and pickled onions

Meta feta: a boring sandwich is a sin against food (photography by Julia Platt Leonard)

At first glance, nothing could be simpler than a sandwich. And as a nation, we eat enough of them that we should be able to do it blindfolded. But it’s surprisingly easy to get a sandwich wrong.

You’ve got to get the fillings right. Too much and it’s a mess and too little and your sandwich tastes like – well, two pieces of bread.

Then of course there’s the choice of bread. You need something that is substantial enough to handle fillings but not so substantial that you need a fork and knife to cut it. And soggy bread – the cardinal sandwich sin – is an absolute no-no.

We tend to get into sandwich ruts too. We’ll eat the same sandwich day in and day out. Nothing wrong with ham and cheese but nothing wrong with trying something different, like this grilled lamb steak sandwich.

It’s served with whipped feta and aubergine that’s roasted and brushed with tart pomegranate molasses. Pickled onions add a bit of crunch and more acidity which helps to cut through the richness of the lamb.

You could happily substitute leftover roast leg of lamb or roast chicken for the lamb steak or skip it altogether and make this a vegetarian sandwich.

For a vegan option, exchange the whipped feta for creamy hummus. Better yet, bring the ingredients to the table in bowls and let everyone make their own sandwich. Make sure the bread is the best you can find, either homemade or quality store bought, like this white potato sourdough loaf from London’s The Dusty Knuckle.

Grilled lamb sandwich recipe - do not reuse image (Julia Platt Leonard)

Grilled lamb steak sandwich with whipped feta, roasted aubergine and pickled onions

Serves 3-4

2 lamb steaks, bone in, about 400-500g total weight
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sumac
​Small bunch of oregano about 5g, leaves only
1 garlic clove, minced

Roasted aubergine

1 aubergine, sliced into ¾cm rounds
Pomegranate molasses
Olive oil

Whipped feta

200g feta, crumbled
75g cream cheese

Pickled onions

1 red onion, sliced thinly
½ tsp cumin seeds
100ml red wine vinegar
Generous pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 220C. Place the olive oil, sumac, oregano leaves, and minced garlic in a bowl and stir. Rub the mixture into the two lamb steaks and leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

To make the pickled onions, place the sliced onion, cumin seeds, red wine vinegar and salt in a jar. Put the top on and give it a vigorous shake. Shake again every few minutes. The onions are ready in 15-20 minutes.

Place the aubergine slices onto a baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Season with salt and roast in the oven for around 9-10 minutes, then turn and roast on the other side until the slices are nicely browned. Pour a couple of tablespoons of pomegranate molasses into a bowl and brush onto the aubergine slices and roast for another few minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

To make the whipped feta, blitz the feta cheese and cream cheese in a blender until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a drizzle of water. The mixture should be thick but spreadable. Add a small drizzle of oil and blitz again then spoon into a bowl.

Remove the lamb steaks from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and grill until cooked to your liking. Allow to rest for 5 minutes or so then remove the bone and slice.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread some of the whipped feta onto a slice of bread. Top with slices of lamb and aubergine and finish off with the quick pickled onions.

@juliapleonard