Marinated Lamb Pizza with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Yogurt Dressing

It's recipes like these that really help to transform the average weekday "pizza night" into something spectacular. What Katie Ate features a couple of truly delectable-looking pizza recipes that I've been dying to try since I got my hands on the cookbook; and this one in particular really leaped out at me. I mean, what's not to like about this amazing combination of ingredients? Marinaded lamb? Mint yogurt sauce? Oven roasted tomatoes? Salty feta cheese? Crunchy hot chiles and nutty almonds? Best of all, the recipe makes individual pizzas so you don't have to bother about sharing your portion with someone else.

This pizza is a wonderful departure from your average "cheese/cured meat/bake" recipe. The marinaded lamb is delicious enough that you'll want to push it far out of the way while you're waiting for the rest of the ingredients to come together, or else you'll find yourself munching your way through every delectable little morsel. Everything on this pizza works in pure, beautiful harmony and there's a fantastic amount of flavors and textures as well between the almonds, chiles and the soft lamb. Furthermore, this pizza would be perfect for a nice get-together with friends, as the components would be easy to prepare in advance and throw together at a moment's notice. And the flavors will be something your guests will remember for a long time to come.

Marinated Lamb Pizza with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Mint Yogurt Dressing
(Adapted from What Katie Ate)
(makes two individual pizzas)

For pizza dough: 
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
small pinch sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons instant dried yeast

For marinade: 
2 tsp brown or yellow mustard seeds
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

For tomato sauce: 
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, halved lengthways
1 large clove garlic, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 14-oz can chopped tomatoes
small pinch superfine sugar
small handful basil leaves, torn 

Mint Yogurt dressing:
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 sprig mint, leaves picked and very finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 oz lamb tenderloin
Olive oil, for cooking and drizzling
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup sliced blanched almonds
1-2 long green chiles, seeds removed, finely sliced
sea salt

To make pizza dough: Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients, along with 1/2 cup water. Whisk them together gently with a spoon or a fork, gradually incorporating the flour. Using clean hands, bring the mixture together to form a dough, then transfer to a well-floured worktop. Punch down firmly for 5 minutes, stretching the dough as you go. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured worktop and cut in half, then roll each piece into a round about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to oiled baking sheets or pizza stones.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To make the tomato sauce, place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on a baking sheet. Top each half with a slice of garlic and a pinch of brown sugar, then drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft. Transfer the roast tomatoes and juices to a medium-sized saucepan and add the canned tomato, sugar, basil and 1 cup cold water. Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, then remove from the heat and whizz in a blender for a few seconds until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until needed. This will make extra, and will be lovely for other pastas or marinara. 

For lamb: place the mustard seeds, garlic, mint and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a small container with a lid. Secure the lid and shake well to combine, then pour out onto a dinner plate. Using a knife, spread Dijon mustard all over the outside of the lamb tenderloin, the roll the tenderloin in the seasoning, turning to coat all sides evenly. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and sear the lamb on all sides over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the lamb and set aside to rest for 10 minutes, before slicing thinly with a super-sharp knife.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spoon the tomato sauce all over the pizza bases (you'll only need a few tablespoons). Leave a 3/4 inch border around the edge. Lay slices of lamb all over the sauce and dot the feta on top. Scatter with almonds and chile, then season with a little salt and a generous amount of black pepper and finish with a drizzle of oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pizza base is cooked through and crispy. Cut into slices, serve with the dressing drizzled over and enjoy!