Recipes

From The Great British Menu Cookbook, Richard Corrigan devised this dish to really show off British lamb at its best. He was just one of the many great British chefs who appeared in Great British Menu on BBC2 that showcased the best of British produce.

Serves 4

    1 shoulder of lamb on the bone about 1.5kg, trimmed of excess fat and sinew and bone fully cleaned
    Few sprigs each of rosemary and thyme
    Olive oil
    Mirepoix of finely diced vegetables (2 carrots, 2 celery sticks and 1 large onion)
    ½ bottle (375ml) dry white wine
    200ml white wine vinegar
    1 best end (rack) of lamb, meat removed from the bones in one piece and bones reserved
    ½ onion, finely chopped
    2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
    250g button mushrooms, sliced
    1 large leek, leaves separated
    Knob of unsalted butter
    Salt and pepper

For the onion soubise

    2 onions, finely sliced
    2 shallots, finely sliced
    1 garlic clove, chopped
    ½ tsp thyme leaves
    Olive oil
    Knob of butter

For the champ

    1kg floury potatoes, such as Kerr’s Pink, King Edwards or Desirée
    300ml full-fat milk
    60g unsalted butter
    6 spring onions, finely chopped
    2 tbsp chopped chives
    1 banana shallot, finely chopped

For the garnish

    1kg broad beans in their pods, shelled
    500g peas in their pods, shelled
    50g unsalted butter

Method

Prick the shoulder of lamb all over with the rosemary and thyme sprigs, then coat lightly in olive oil. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

The next day, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 Season the lamb and sear in hot olive oil in a heavy frying pan until well coloured on all sides. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large flameproof casserole that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the vegetable mirepoix and sweat over a low to medium heat for 8-9 minutes or until softened but not coloured, stirring frequently.

Sit the lamb on the mirepoix. Pour over the wine and vinegar and bring just to the boil. Cover the casserole with two layers of foil and tie with string, then put on the lid. Transfer to the oven to cook for one hour. Lower the temperature to 130C/260F and cook for a further three hours, removing the lid and foil for the last 30 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

While the lamb shoulder is in the oven, season the loin from the best end, then sear on all sides in a little hot olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.

Clean the pan, then heat a little more olive oil and sweat the onion until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and soften briefly, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Tip into a blender and blitz until finely chopped.

Blanch four large leek leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and refresh in iced water, then drain and dry. Lay two large (catering size) sheets of cling film on top of each other on a board and smooth out any wrinkles. Lay the leek leaves next to each other on the cling film, overlapping them slightly so that they form a rectangular sheet of leaves. Spread the mushroom stuffing evenly over the leeks. Place the seared loin of lamb at one of the narrow ends and roll up to encase the meat in the sheet of leeks. Now roll the parcel in the cling film and tie the ends tightly with string. Keep in a cool place until ready to cook.

To make the onion soubise, sweat the onions, shallots, garlic and thyme in a little olive oil in a heavy pan for eight to nine minutes, stirring frequently. When the mix is soft and juicy but not coloured, remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave to cool slightly. Blitz in a blender with the knob of butter, then pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Set aside.

Next make the champ. Cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of simmering salted water for 20-30 minutes or until just tender (the flesh should offer no resistance when pierced in the centre with the tip of a small, sharp knife). Drain the potatoes and remove the skins, then lightly mash the flesh. In a small pan, combine the milk and butter and bring to the boil. Add the spring onions, chives and shallot, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for about one minute. Stir this into the mashed potatoes and season. Keep warm.

While the potatoes are simmering, prepare the garnish and sauce. Blanch the broad beans and peas in separate pans of boiling salted water until tender. The beans should take three to four minutes, the peas one to two minutes. Drain and refresh both vegetables in iced water, then drain again. Remove the outer skins from the beans. Set the garnish vegetables aside.

Lift the shoulder of lamb off the mirepoix, cover and keep warm. Tip the contents of the casserole into a fine sieve and strain the liquid into a bowl; discard the solids. Deglaze the casserole with enough water to cover the bottom, then add this liquid to the strained cooking liquid in the bowl.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan until almost smoking. Add the bones and any trimmings from the best end of lamb, season and fry for three to four minutes or until well coloured and almost caramelised. Add the liquid from the lamb shoulder and reduce by half, then pass through a sieve lined with wet muslin into a clean pan. Add a knob of butter, season and set aside.

Steam the lamb parcels above boiling water for three minutes. Reheat the broad beans with the butter and a spoonful of water for one to two minutes, then add the peas and toss with the beans until hot. Reheat the onion soubise and champ, if necessary.

To serve, cut the lamb parcels into portions and carefully remove the cling film. Divide the shoulder of lamb into chunks with a spoon and put some chunks on top of the peas and beans on one side of each warmed plate. Put a spoonful of onion soubise on the opposite side and top with the leek-wrapped loin of lamb. Spoon the champ in quenelles on the plates, then drizzle a little more sauce over both types of lamb and around the lamb.