(4oz) French beans, topped and tailed
40g (1½oz) butter
110ml (4fl oz) double cream
2 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
4 tsp hazelnut oil (optional)
Salt and black pepper
My favourite lamb supplier is Colin Robinson, a family butcher from Skipton, North Yorkshire. If you’re in the area, pay him a visit. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas 6. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray for 15–20 minutes, or until the skins split. Take out of the oven, tip into a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins. Once cooled, chop the nuts in half.
Place the potatoes and a good pinch of salt in a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20–25 minutes.
Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Put the olive oil in a roasting tin, place over a high heat and add the lamb. Seal on all sides, especially the side with the fat. Add the onions to the tin and put in the oven for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the hazelnuts and return to the oven for 6 minutes more.
Pour the stock into another large saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the broad beans, cook for 3–4 minutes, then remove them (reserving the stock) and refresh in cold water. Peel off the skins. Just before the lamb is ready, add the asparagus tips and French beans to the stock to cook. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest in the tin. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes, return to the pan and mash with butter and cream. Add salt and pepper and keep warm.
Drain the fat from the lamb and add the hazelnuts and onions to the stock. Return the peeled broad beans, add the parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Slice each rack of lamb in half and place with the mash in the centre of bowls. Spoon the broth around and drizzle with hazelnut oil, if you wish.
Lamb, mint and Little Gem salad
Serves 4
2 racks of lamb, bones removed (ask your butcher to do this)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 sprigs of rosemary
50g (2oz) butter, cut into cubes
2 Little Gem lettuces
Salt and black pepper
For the dressing
1 tsp caster sugar
25ml (1fl oz) Chardonnay vinegar or other white wine vinegar
75ml (3fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped mint
Salt and black pepper
This simple and delicious salad can be eaten hot, warm or even cold, whichever way you prefer. It reminds me of my gran – like me, she loved fresh mint in salads or eaten with lamb. So, Gran, this recipe is in memory of you.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas 6.
Trim the lamb, removing excess fat if you wish, and, using a piece of string, tie up into a tight roll. Season with salt and pepper.
Set an ovenproof pan or roasting tin over a high heat, add the tablespoon of olive oil and then the lamb, turning it in the pan for 2–3 minutes to seal on all sides, so that it is an even golden colour. Add the rosemary and the butter and remove the pan from the heat.
Roast in the oven for 8 minutes, basting from time to time with the butter, then remove from the oven. When the lamb has cooled slightly, remove from the pan, wrap in cling film tightly with the rosemary and set aside on a chopping board.
Place the sugar and the vinegar in a bowl, mix well then add the extra-virgin olive oil and the mint. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, stir together and pour into a serving jug.
Place the leaves from the lettuces in a serving bowl. Remove the lamb from the cling film, slice very thinly and serve with the salad leaves and the jug of dressing on the side.
Côte de boeuf with watercress and black beer mustard
Makes 2 large portions or 4 smaller ones
1kg (2lb 2oz) rib of beef with the chine bone removed (ask your butcher to do this for you)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
110g (4oz) Black Beer Mustard (see page 36), to serve
For the watercress salad
1 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp rapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp Black Beer Mustard (see page 36)
110–150g (4–5oz) watercress, thick stalks removed
Salt and black pepper
Côte de boeuf is a large cut of beef with a big, thick rib bone. If you can’t get it, use a thick rib-eye steak instead. This is equally delicious cooked on a barbecue in summer for 10 – 15 minutes on each side.
Season the beef with salt and pepper and brush with the olive oil. Set a frying pan over a high heat and, when it starts to smoke, add the beef and cook for 4–5 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for a further 4–5 minutes. Turn the beef to seal the edges and cook for a further 4 minutes on each side, or 8–10 minutes per side if you prefer your meat well done.
Remove the beef from the pan, place on a chopping board and allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
To make the watercress salad, whisk the vinegar, rapeseed or olive oil and mustard together in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the watercress in another bowl and drizzle over the dressing, tossing the leaves to coat evenly. Place in a serving bowl and set aside.
To serve, cut the beef into fairly thick slices and serve the mustard and the watercress on the side.
