Tasting History with Max Miller
Published Apr 16, 2024

Côtelettes d’Agneau à la Minute
Simple, delicious fried lamb cutlets with a lemon-butter sauce with swirls of Duchess Potatoes

City/Region: France
Time Period: 1903

The food and dining cars of the Orient Express were a big part of the luxurious experience that drew in passengers. The chefs, who were brought in from top French institutions, prepared meals on moving train cars, sometimes themed to which countries the train was passing through.

These lamb cutlets are simple, tender, and delicious. The lemon-butter sauce has only two ingredients, and pairs perfectly with Duchess Potatoes for a wonderful meal (or more accurately, single course) aboard the Orient Express.

Côtelettes d’Agneau à la Minute
Cut the cutlets very thin, season them and shallow fry in very hot clarified butter. Arrange them in a circle on a dish, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and the cooking butter after adding a pinch of chopped parsley, Serve immediately.
— Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier, 1903

Ingredients:
6 lamb cutlets, the smallest you can find, cut as thinly as possible
Salt and pepper
Clarified butter, enough to have about 1/4 inch (1 cm) of melted fat in your cooking pan
Juice from half a lemon
A small handful of minced parsley, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Season the lamb cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the clarified butter in a wide pan to about 350°F (175°C). When the butter is hot, carefully set the lamb in about 3 or 4 pieces at a time. You don’t want to crowd the pan, so you’ll probably have to work in batches. Fry the cutlets for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, then flip them over and fry on the other side until the lamb is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).
3. Take the lamb out of the pan and set it aside to rest while you cook the rest of the cutlets.
4. Once all the cutlets are cooked, mix the lemon juice with about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the butter the lamb was cooked in. Feel free to adjust the lemon juice and butter amounts to taste. Plate the lamb cutlets with Duchess Potatoes, drizzle with the lemon-butter mixture, sprinkle with parsley, and serve it forth for a meal on the Orient Express.

Pommes de Terre Duchesse
Rich, creamy Duchess Potatoes whose slightly dry texture pairs wonderfully with Lamb Cutlets Fried in Butter and its lemon-butter sauce (above).

City/Region: France
Time Period: 1903

The recipes for the food served aboard the Orient Express were largely from Auguste Escoffier and were prepared by top French chefs. This recipe comes from Escoffier’s book Le Guide Culinaire in 1903, right in the middle of the Orient Express‘s first golden age.

These potatoes are firmer and somewhat drier than modern mashed potatoes, but they are also richer and creamier. The texture is so soft and smooth, and the flavor of the butter really comes through. Since they are drier, I highly recommend serving them with the lemon-butter sauce from the Lamb Cutlets Fried in Butter.

Pommes de Terre Duchesse
Prepare a potato croquette mixture and mould into the form of small Brioche à Tête, bread rolls or flat cakes; or pipe out with a piping bag and star tube on to a buttered tray. Brush with beaten egg and place in a hot oven to colour, some 7-8 minutes before serving.
— Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier, 1903

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs (1 kg) russet potatoes, peeled
2 teaspoons salt, plus about 1 tablespoon for boiling the potatoes
7 tablespoons (100 g) butter
1 teaspoon white pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
1 egg, at room temperature
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (55 g) butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Chop the potatoes into 1 inch (3 cm) pieces. Put them in a large pot and add enough water to cover them and add the 1 tablespoon of salt. Give it a stir and bring to a boil. Let them boil for about 10 minutes. There should still be some resistance when you pierce the potatoes with the tip of a knife.
2. While the potatoes boil, preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
3. Drain the potatoes and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re very soft.
4. Once the potatoes are soft, take them out of the oven and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to pass them through a strainer. This can take quite a while, and you might start to think that it won’t work, but it will. You can use a ricer, which will be faster, but the potatoes won’t be quite as creamy.
5. Put the potatoes, the 7 tablespoons of butter, the 2 teaspoons of salt, white pepper, and nutmeg in a pot. Put it over low heat and stir everything in until the butter is melted and all the seasonings are evenly distributed. Take the pot off the heat.
6. Let the potatoes cool until they’re just warm, a little above room temperature. If they’re too hot, they’ll scramble the eggs. Beat the whole egg and the egg yolks together until combined, then add them to the potatoes. Stir until fully incorporated.
7. Shape the potatoes however you would like and place them on a lined baking sheet. I made mine fancy by piping large mounds straight onto a parchment-lined baking sheet with a star tip. This recipe should make 6 to 10 potato mounds, depending on how big you want them. Put the baking sheet, uncovered, in the fridge for 1 hour to let the piped potatoes firm up.
8. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
9. After the potatoes have chilled, brush them with the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes or until they’re nicely browned.
10. Serve them forth with Lamb Cutlets Fried in Butter for a meal on the Orient Express.