Hearty home cooking
I'm looking forward to outdoor cafe culture and trips to the beach, but with the current relentless rain and cold weather some home favourites have been very welcome.
I went for the shoulder of lamb as it was on offer around £7 for a a whole shoulder is a bit of a bargain. I also like shoulder of lamb as I think it has more flavour than leg of lamb. This could be to do with the higher fat content so I tend to remove all the fat from the roasting dish before making a gravy. Below is the finished dish.
So here are my tips that I think makes the dish really top. Potatoes - par boil them and give them a shake it the colander to create some crisps edges, coat with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. You could roast them in a separate dish but they get a wonderful flavour from roasting with the lamb.
Tip 2 are parsnips. Some people don't like them but I think often that is the way they are cooked. Again I give them a quick par boil and let them drain until fairly dry. I start them in a wok with a little oil, pepper, honey and yes a spot of chilli. Once they crisp up a bit put them either in with the lamb or a separate dish. Putting everything in with the lamb does save on washing up!
For the lamb itself I go old school. Garlic, rosemary and salt. Rosemary is really hearty and seems to be the only thing surviving in the current weather. So take a sharp knife and make small incisions all over the lamb and insert a sprig of rosemary and a sliver of garlic into each one. Shake some salt over the joint and put on a high heat to crisp up and then turn down. No need for extra oil, there is enough in the joint and the roasting smell is wonderful.
I've been using a meat thermometer for years. You put it in deepest part of the meat before it goes in the oven and then take it out when the dial hits the appropriate level you want e.g. medium. Rest your meat wrapped in tin foil. Even 20 minutes makes a huge difference as the meat relaxes and draws back in its juices.
Make your own mint sauce. A handful of mint leaves in a small bowl, some sugar and a little white wine vinegar. Pour on a little hot water and leave to steep.
Last tip is the gravy. Any roast is made by a great gravy and it takes a little more time but is worth it. You can use gravy mixes but they are just not the same. For my gravy I start with a couple of veg stock cubes (yes a really purest would create their own stock all a matter of time really), I add some port and reduce. I leave this to one side until the end and add it into the the roasting pan to de-glaze the essence of the roast which is coated on the bottom of the roasting pan. Now the tip I learned from a gravy I tasted in a classic French restaurant in London years ago is add a lot of ground black pepper and some honey. Lamb really works well with these strong flavours. Reduce sieve out the bit that have now done their job and add a little flour to thicken.
We had this with an excellent rioja which made the dish.
A large joint means lots of left overs and last night was a spicy lamb and noodle soup. Again the hot, sweet and spicy flavours work really well with the lamb. A few fresh mint leaves added at the end really made the dish.
Tonight there is still meat left and a lamb curry is on the horizon yum.
