Senior sous chef at the Clubhouse, Keanan Pattison gives us some top tips to use with your favourite roast lamb recipe this Easter.
At Easter many of us like to get family or friends together and cook a roast lamb. Whether you are cooking for one or ten, use Keanan's tips to make yours one to remember!
A Magic Marinade
The night before roasting, make a rosemary salt to give the lamb an extra touch of flavour:
2 rosemary sprigs (chopped)
3 tbsp salt
1 garlic clove
1 tsp of pepper
A little touch of olive oil
Mix the ingredients together and rub all over the joint of lamb and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning wash it off before roasting (do this an hour before roasting to allow the meat to come to room temperature). This is an easy way to add an extra touch of flavour to make all the difference.
Low and Slow
Low and slow is always best when cooking big joints of meat to ensure maximum tenderness and flavour.
If you like your meat well done and not dry, try a lamb shoulder which is best done overnight or in a slow cooker:
Place the lamb shoulder it in a large oven dish or slow cooker, cover with stock and water, place vegetables such as carrots (sliced lengthways), onions (cut into wedges) and celery (cut into long pieces) and leave it until the meat just falls apart- 70 degrees for 8 hours in the oven or on the low setting for 8 hours in the slow cooker.
Know Your Temperatures
Rather than having to slice into your meat to see if it is cooked, it is always handy to have a probe to check the temperature, guide for lamb as follows:
Rare – 52 degrees
Medium - 60 degrees
Well done - 71 degrees
An Excellent Gravy
Take your gravy to the next level and ask your butcher if they have spare bones. Roast the bones in the oven with some sliced onion, celery and carrots until they are soft (about an hour) then put it all in a pan on the hob. Add mustard, garlic and thyme and fill with water. Let it simmer for an hour. Skim any fat off the top, then sieve the bones out and keep the water, add some lamb or beef stock and a touch of flour and blend it together for a beautiful gravy packed with flavour.
Let Your Meat Rest
It is so important to let the meat rest, the longer the better as it relaxes the meat after cooking. Leave in an oven that is 50-55 degrees for the perfect conditions covered in foil.
Seasonal Vegetables
Forget your frozen carrots and think seasonal - garden peas, wild garlic, carrots cooked in water with some butter and a little star anise goes along way.
Add a spoonful of mint sauce to your creamy mashed potatoes for an extra touch.
Of course, if this all seems like too much work, book now for Easter Sunday lunch in the Clubhouse where Keanan will show you how it’s done!
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