Neven Maguire: two ways with lovely Irish lamb

As lamb will be in season shortly, it’s the perfect time to try out these two delicious recipes.

Connemara Hill Lamb is a great product and is Bord Bia Quality Assured. Keep an eye out for it – you will not be disappointed. If needed, your butcher will prepare the butterflied lamb for you.

Butterflied lamb is great on the barbecue and this is a slightly jazzed-up version.

Mint is a classic with lamb, but it is a meat that can also take the flavour of the extra spices I have added here. I like Killowen Farm yogurt, which is made in Enniscorthy and is the only Single Origin Dairy yogurt producer in Ireland, which means it uses Irish milk from grass-fed, free-roaming cows (killowen.ie).

Next up is this rack of lamb – it tastes great, looks beautiful and is a real show-stopper. It is a bit on the expensive side, but I think it’s well worth it especially if it is a special occasion.

The French trim removes the fat, and without the chine bone it is much easier to carve. The anchovies add a nice saltiness.

You could cut it into cutlets and they are another great one for the barbecue. It has plenty of ingredients, but well worth it.

The red wine sauce is the perfect accompaniment to cut through the richness of the lamb, while the tapenade and spinach add another layer of taste.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Ingredients: serves 4-6

3kg leg of lamb, boned and well trimmed, roughly 5cm thick

25g chopped fresh mint

Juice of 2 lemons

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp mild chilli powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 tbsp yogurt

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lightly dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1 Place the lamb in a shallow non-metallic dish. Mix the mint in a bowl with the lemon juice, garlic, ground coriander, chilli powder, ground cumin, olive oil, yogurt and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Rub all over the meat, then cover with clingfilm and chill overnight or leave to stand at room temperature for 2-3 hours, if time is short.

2 Preheat the oven to 230°C (475°F/gas mark 9) or light a barbecue. If the lamb has been chilled overnight, bring it back to room temperature. If cooking in the oven, place the lamb, cut side up, on a rack in a large roasting tin and season with salt. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn over and roast for another 10 minutes for rare.

3 Barbecue over medium-hot coals for about 50 minutes for medium rare lamb, turning occasionally.

4 Remove the lamb from the oven or barbecue and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. If you don’t like your lamb too pink, you can cover it with foil at this point and it will continue to cook.

5 Carve into slices and arrange on plates with a dressed green salad for everyone to enjoy.

Ingredients: serves 4

2 x 7 bone-in best ends of lamb, each about 275-350g (10-12oz), chine bones removed

50g fresh white breadcrumbs

Small bunch fresh mixed herbs (such as basil, mint and flat-leaf parsley)

2 tbsp olive oil

1tsp Dijon mustard

1 small baguette, cut into 12 slices on the diagonal

For the red wine sauce:

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

150ml red wine

1 tsp light muscovado sugar

150ml beef stock

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

For the tapenade:

250g chopped pitted black olives

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp capers, drained

6 anchovy fillets, drained and roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

About 120ml extra-virgin olive oil

For the spinach:

900g fresh spinach

25g butter

1 garlic clove, crushed

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas mark 5) and prepare the lamb. Blend the breadcrumbs with the fresh herbs and olive oil in a food processor until you have achieved bright, vibrant, green crumbs.

2 Place the racks of lamb on a chopping board and, using a pastry brush, spread the mustard thickly over the fat side of each rack. Cover with the herb crumbs crust and using your hands, mould it over the lamb. Cover the tips of the bone with tin foil to prevent them from burning.

3 Arrange the lamb, coated side up in a small roasting tin and roast for 15-20 minutes, or a little longer, depending on how pink you like your lamb.

4 Meanwhile, make the red wine sauce: heat a heavy-based pan on medium high and pour in the vinegar and red wine. Simmer for about five minutes, or until reduced by half. Add the sugar, stock and thyme and continue to reduce for another 5-10 minutes until you have achieved a sauce consistency, which should coat the back of a spoon. Pass the sauce through a sieve, season to taste and keep warm.

5 To make the tapenade, place the olives in a food processor with the lemon juice, capers, anchovy fillets, garlic and parsley. Pulse until just combined, then pour in enough of the olive oil to make a smooth puree. Season to taste and use as required. This will keep well stored in the fridge in a sterilised jar for up to one week.

6 Remove the lamb from the oven and set aside in a warm place to rest for 10-15 minutes. Put the slices of bread on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes to crisp up.

7 Meanwhile, prepare the spinach: wash and remove any large stalks, then dry well – a salad spinner works brilliantly for this, if you have one. Heat a large, heavy-based pan and add fistfuls of the spinach, adding another as one wilts down. Cook for one minute, then tip into a colander and gently press out all the excess moisture.

8 Melt the butter in the pan and sauté the garlic for 30 seconds, if using, then add the drained spinach, season to taste and add a little nutmeg. Toss until heated through.

9 Carve the lamb into individual chops. Divide the spinach among warmed plates and arrange the lamb chops on top, drizzle around a little of the red wine sauce. The rest can be served in a jug on the table. Spread the toasts with tapenade and arrange around the edge of the plates to serve.

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