SLOW BRAISED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH LOTUS CRISP
IF you want a meat dish that simply melts in the mouth – this is the one for you.
The key element is the slow braising, which keeps the meat oh so tender.
If you don’t use all the meat in one meal, it will keep in the fridge for a good few days. Serves 4 Ingredients:
One tablespoon olive oil
Four shallots – finelychopped
Two cloves garlic – chopped
One teaspoon chopped rosemary
Few leaves fresh mint shredded
2.5kg lamb shoulder – boned
Two tablespoons olive oil
One carrot - roughly chopped
Two sticks celery - roughly chopped
One onion - roughly chopped
One tablespoon tomato purée
Sprig of thyme and rosemary 300ml red wine 2,000ml beef stock 25g butter To Finish:
Sautéed sugar snap peas Mash potato Balls of carrot/ courgette
Lotus crisp METHOD: 1. Heat the olive oil and add the shallots, garlic and rosemary. Sauté briefly for 3-4 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool then add the mint. 2. Take the lamb shoulder and season both sides. Lay the fat side down on a chopping board and scatter the shallot mixture on top. 3. Roll the shoulder into a cylinder and secure with string to hold it in place. 4. Heat the olive oil in a casserole pan and seal the lamb until golden on all sides. 5. Add the carrot, celery and onion and sauté in the pan for about two to three minutes. Add the tomato purée, thyme, rosemary, red wine and beef stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with foil and place in an oven at 140ºC for two-and-ahalf hours. 6. Remove from the oven, the meat when cut with a knife should flake easily. If not, return to the oven for a further 20 minutes. 7. Remove the lamb from the cooking liquor and roll tightly in tin foil – this keeps the lamb in a neat cylinder shape. Leave to cool then put in fridge until ready to serv e. Strain the liquor through a sieve. 8. Unroll the lamb from the foil and remove the strings, cut into six even slices. Heat the butter in a small frying pan and fry the lamb on both sides until golden. Place in the oven at 180ºC for five minutes to heat through. 9. Heat the cooking liquor and skim off any excess fat from the surface, season to taste and reduce to thicken if necessary. 10. Place some of the sautéed sugar snaps in a bowl, place the lamb on top and finish with the mash, vegetable balls, lotus crisp and finally pour over the sauce.