Butter flied lamb full of flavour

Our plans for St Patrick’s weekend worked out really well, and our whole family had a lovely time.

The amount of time that goes into organising parades and festivals each year is immense and largely down to community groups and volunteers – it’s wonderful to see Irish communities coming together each year with so much spirit and creativity. Thank you to everyone involved.

I also want to say thank you to those who reached out with kind words after hearing me on Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ.

I always enjoy talking to Claire and a big reason for that is her genuine interest in food. She loves to cook for her family and is very capable in the kitchen.

I consider myself very lucky to be able to come onto the radio on a regular basis to talk about food.

On Fridays, I have a weekly slot with Marty Whelan on Lyric FM. Like Claire, Marty has a real interest in food but – I might not say this to his face – I think unlike Claire, his interest is more in eating the food than in preparing it!

Whelan household

I could never be certain, but if I had to guess, I would say that his wife Maria does most of the cooking in the Whelan household. I will stick to that until I get proof to the contrary and Marty brings in something he cooked (with a video to prove it).

In all the years that I was on Open House, I never even saw him whisk an egg. But you know what? He talks a good game and I live in hope. God loves a trier. And, sometimes, pigs do occasionally fly.

When I go into studio for radio interviews, I like bringing in snacks or tasters to share with the host and crew. For my interview with Claire, I brought in a sticky beef featherblade Irish stew, some bacon and cabbage soup, and an apple and almond tart.

Well-fed

My reusable food storage containers (part of my Cook range) come in handy when it comes to transporting the food. I swear by them – there is nothing worse than food leaking everywhere when you’re getting from point A to point B and these have never let me down. Anyway, the crew were definitely well-fed on the day and the whole event was a pleasure and so much fun.

This week’s recipe of butterflied fragrant lamb is one of my favourite ways to serve lamb.

It’s both easy to cook and easy to carve.

Once the bone has been taken out, the joint flattens nicely, which helps it cook evenly. Ask your butcher to butterfly the lamb and always make sure it is Bord Bia Quality Assured.

This is a great meal for Easter dinner or around this time of year with confirmations, communions and other family gatherings. It has lots of flavour and a recipe worth keeping in your repertoire – I especially like it in summer, grilled on the barbecue.

Ginger and lemon delight

Another great recipe for family gatherings is this lemon curd cheesecake. It comes together really easily and is such a crowd pleaser.

The lemon curd adds a perfect sweet and tangy element to the creamy cheesecake filling. Folláin, a family business in Ballyvourney (near the Cork-Kerry border) make a delicious lemon curd. They live up to their name, which is Irish for wholesome. I like ginger biscuits as they compliment the lemon, but regular digestives work.

Eat Out at Home by Neven Maguire (Gill Books)

Ingredients: Serves 4

Method

1 Place the lamb in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Mix the remaining ingredients, except the salt and pomegranate seeds, and rub over the meat.

2 Cover with cling film and chill overnight or, if time is short, leave to stand at room temperature for 2–3 hours, turning the lamb over from time to time.

3 When you are ready to cook, if the lamb has been chilled overnight, bring it back to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 240°C or light a barbecue. If using a charcoal barbecue, light it 45 minutes before you want to start cooking. If using a gas barbecue, light it 10 minutes beforehand. If cooking in the oven, place the lamb, cut-side up, on a rack in a large roasting tin and season with salt.

4 For rare meat, roast for 25-30 minutes. For medium-rare meat, roast for 35-40 minutes, turning over halfway through. If barbecuing, cook the lamb over medium-hot coals. For medium-rare lamb, cook for about 50 minutes, turning occasionally.

5 Remove the lamb from the oven or barbecue, and leave it 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.

6 Carve into slices and arrange on plates, drizzling any juices from the tin. Scatter over some mint to garnish, then add the pomegranate seeds and fresh rosemary, if using.

Ingredients: Serves 6-8

Method

1 Put the biscuits in a food processor and blend to crumbs.

2 Melt the butter and put in a bowl with the biscuit crumbs. Mix well and use to line a springform tin, pressing down well with the back of a spoon.

3 Take out 2 tablespoons of the lemon curd and reserve, then put the rest in a bowl. Add the mascarpone, yogurt and lemon juice, then whisk until smooth.

4 Using a spatula, cover the biscuit base, swirling around the top so it’s not too smooth. Add small blops of the reserved lemon curd and swirl into spirals with a toothpick. Chill for at least 2 hours – overnight is perfect.

5 Remove the cheesecake from the tin and, using a palette knife, put it on a cake stand. Give a light dusting of icing sugar, if desired, just before bringing it to the table, and cut into slices in front of your guests.