Ingredients
Meat
- 500 gbeef entrecote or rump, sliced 6–8 mm thick against the grain
- 300 gbotifarra crua (fresh Catalan pork sausage), coiled and pricked
- 4lamb cutlets, about 350 g, trimmed
- 2 tbspextra virgin olive oil, for wiping the stone
Table seasoning
- 20 gcoarse sea salt
- 2 tspdried mountain thyme (farigola)
- 1 tspdried rosemary, crumbled
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 20 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 60 mlextra virgin olive oil
To serve
- 8small potatoes, about 500 g, boiled in their skins
- 150 gallioli (garlic and olive oil emulsion)
- 1escarole heart, dressed with oil and vinegar
Directions
- Take the meat out of the fridge 1 hour before eating. Cold meat seizes on contact with the slab and steams instead of searing.
- Set the llosa, a 3–4 cm slab of granite or slate, on the middle shelf of a cold oven, turn it to 250°C (475°F) and leave it at least 1 hour after the oven reaches temperature. It is ready when a flicked drop of water skitters and vanishes in under 2 seconds.
- Lay the coiled sausage on first, since it takes longest: 5–6 minutes a side, until the casing is taut and blistered and the juices run clear.
- Add the lamb cutlets, 3 minutes a side, until well browned with a pink centre.
Technique
- The slab must be at least 3 cm thick. Thin stone dumps all its heat into the first piece of meat and the rest of the meal boils in its own juices.
- Never salt before cooking. Salt on raw meat draws out moisture that hisses into steam and prevents the crust forming, which is why the salt dish sits on the table.
- Do not wash the hot stone. Scrape it with a metal spatula and a fistful of coarse salt, let it cool completely, then wipe it. Cold water on a hot slab will crack it.
Substitutions
- No llosa: a 30 cm cast-iron griddle or a 2 cm baking stone heated the same way works, though cast iron gives back less radiant heat and needs reheating between rounds.
- Botifarra is hard to find outside Catalonia. Use a coarse, unsmoked sausage seasoned with nothing but salt and black pepper.
Variations
- Carn a la pedra, the identical version served across the Pallars and Cerdanya valleys.
- An autumn plate with duck breast and wild ceps laid on the same slab.
- Cargols a la llosa, vineyard snails set shell-up on the hot stone and eaten with allioli.
History
Andorran mountain restaurant tradition using llosa, the local slate, as the cooking surface.
Frequently asked questions
What is Carn a la llosa?
Carn a la llosa is a main from Andorra: meat grilled at table on a heated stone slab with herbs and salt. Andorran mountain restaurant tradition using llosa, the local slate, as the cooking surface.
How long does Carn a la llosa take to make?
Carn a la llosa takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min, mostly heating the stone of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Carn a la llosa?
Yes, within limits. No llosa: a 30 cm cast-iron griddle or a 2 cm baking stone heated the same way works, though cast iron gives back less radiant heat and needs reheating between rounds. Botifarra is hard to find outside Catalonia. Use a coarse, unsmoked sausage seasoned with nothing but salt and black pepper.
What is the most important thing to get right in Carn a la llosa?
Take the meat out of the fridge 1 hour before eating. Cold meat seizes on contact with the slab and steams instead of searing.
