Skaapstertjies
South Africa produces some world-class dishes, many of which are deep-rooted in our country’s heritage. One of the standout local dishes is our skaapstertjies. This delicacy has a flavour like no other; it’s rich, salty, and bursting with unique taste. There are so many ways to enjoy these; serve them as part of a trio-meat platter (with bone marrow and ribs), as a braai time snack, or we recommend serving them on a bed of soft, buttery polenta.
Ingredients for lamb tails
- Lamb tails
- Water
- Olive oil
- Coriander spice
- Brown vinegar
- Worcester sauce
- Lemon, cut into wedges
- Salt
- White pepper
Ingredients for polenta
- Water, 2 cups
- Milk, 2 cups
- Vegetable stock, 1 cube, or relative amount of powdered stock.
- Instant polenta, 1,5 cups
- Butter, 2 tablespoons
- Thyme leaves, 4 sprigs
- Mascarpone, 1 dollop
- Parmesan cheese, 40g
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
- Place the tails in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the tails until tender. Meat should easily pull off the bone.
- Remove the tails from the water and place them in a casserole dish. Cover with brown vinegar, Worcester sauce, olive oil, coriander, salt, and white pepper. Add lemon wedges and place in the oven. Bake for roughly 30 to 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, grab a saucepan and place on the stove over high heat. Add water, milk, and stock, and bring to boil. Gradually add polenta, whisking constantly for 3-5 minutes to avoid creating lumps.
- Once the polenta has thickened, remove from the heat, and quickly stir in the butter, thyme, and parmesan cheese. Finish off with a dollop of mascarpone cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the tails from the oven and add a fresh squeeze of lemon juice on top.
- Dish polenta into bowls and top with tails.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
