We have been using the Connemara Hill mountain lamb in the restaurant for a while now and the feedback is fantastic. It is a beautiful product, which I was introduced to by the Simply Better team, so I owe them a big thanks you for that.
For this recipe, we blend together a paste of punchy wholegrain mustard, garlic, a little flatleaf parsley and lemon, and we rub it all over the lamb. The peas with braised lettuce is also gorgeous with grilled chicken, lamb cutlets or even the likes of some grilled fish, such as hake, haddock or cod.
Mint is so easy to grow. Indeed, it is hard to stop it growing! This delicious mint sauce is perfect with roast lamb and only takes minutes to prepare. You can chop it or blend it. If you put it in a Kilner jar, it will keep well because the vinegar will preserve it.
Crème Brûlée is my favourite dessert. I was on the radio with Marty Whelan recently and I discovered that it’s also his favourite dessert. This is really two recipes in one. It is also great over ice cream or sliced banana. Crème brûlée is easy to make but it is all about the technique. You make the salted caramel sauce first. Then, to get the custard right, use a bain marie. You half fill the tray with warm water and you are protecting the custard from curdling. You can make this a day or two ahead and then just drizzle over the sugar or icing sugar. We use a cassonade sugar in the restaurant. A mini blow torch costs about ¤20 and it’s a great piece of kitchen equipment.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Roasted lamb with braised lettuce, peas and homemade mint sauce. \ Phillip Doyle.
Roasted lamb with braised lettuce and peas
Serves six
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
20g (3/4oz) packet fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil, extra for cooking
2.3kg (5lb) leg of lamb
1kg (2 1/4lb) white potatoes (even-sized)
100g (4oz) pancetta or streaky bacon rashers, diced
2 little Gem lettuce, quartered
275g (10oz) frozen peas
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Homemade mint sauce (see separate recipe), to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF/gas mark 6). Blend the garlic, mustard, parsley, lemon juice and oil in a food processor to a paste. Smear all over the lamb in a roasting tin.2 Cut the potatoes into slices three-quarters of the way through and tuck around the lamb. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for one hour and 15 minutes, covering with foil if the crust starts getting dark. Rest for 20 minutes.3 Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the bacon until golden, then quickly sauté the lettuce for 10 seconds on each cut side. Tip in the peas with the stock and cook for three to four minutes until tender. 4 Serve the lamb with the braised lettuce and peas, the hasselback potatoes and some homemade mint sauce (see separate recipe).Homemade mint sauce
Makes 150ml (1/4 pint)
20g (3/4oz) packet fresh mint, leaves finely chopped
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp boiling water
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Put the mint in a jug with the sugar and boiling water, stirring to dissolve. Leave to cool and then stir in the vinegar to serve.Salted caramel crème brûlée
Serves eight
For the custard:
60g (2 1/4oz) granulated sugar
1 tbsp water
1 litre (1 ¾ pints) cream
1 ½ tsp sea salt flakes
50g (2oz) butter, cut into cubes
Twelve medium egg yolks
Seeds of 2 vanilla pods or 4 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping:
6 tbsp granulated or icing sugar
1 First make the caramel to flavour the custard. Place the sugar in a heavy-based pan with the water and heat gently, stirring only until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to the boil. Simmer vigorously until the caramel turns a rich amber colour, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent hot spots but on no account stir. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully stir in four tablespoons of the cream with the salt until evenly blended. Stir in the butter, a couple of cubes at a time until you have achieved a smooth caramel and set aside to cool completely.2 When the salted caramel has cooled down, preheat the oven to 150oC (fan 130oC/300oF/gas mark 3). Whisk the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the rest of cream to the boil in a pan with the vanilla. Then remove from the heat and whisk into the egg yolks with the caramel. Sit the bowl over a pan of hot water and heat until the custard starts to thicken, stirring all the time with a plastic spatula. It should have the consistency of single cream.3 Divide the custard between eight 200ml ramekins or moulds that are 7.5cm high. Sit them in a large roasting tin and add warm water until it comes three-quarters up the sides of the ramekins. This is the bain marie and will prevent the custards from getting too hot and curdling in the oven. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 20 minutes. To test if they are cooked, remove one of the custards from the water and shake gently. There should still be slight movement in the centre of the custard. If it is still runny, put it back in the oven and check after another five minutes. 4 Remove the cooked custards from the oven and allow to cool. I prefer to eat these at room temperature, so I do not always put them in the fridge if I can make them earlier on the day that I plan to serve them.5 To finish, sprinkle them liberally with an even layer of the granulated sugar. If you have a blowtorch, this is great for achieving a quick and even glaze. Keep the blowtorch moving so that the sugar does not burn and the delicate custard underneath does not overcook. If not, then dust them with the icing sugar and colour them under a preheated hot grill, having the ramekins as close as possible to the heat. As the sugar is heating, it will bubble and start to colour. More sugar may need to be added, then continue to colour until you’ve achieved a deep golden brown. 6 Once you have the lovely crunchy topping done, leave them to cool a little and then serve. Wait before you move them around, as the sugar gets hot.
We have been using the Connemara Hill mountain lamb in the restaurant for a while now and the feedback is fantastic. It is a beautiful product, which I was introduced to by the Simply Better team, so I owe them a big thanks you for that.
For this recipe, we blend together a paste of punchy wholegrain mustard, garlic, a little flatleaf parsley and lemon, and we rub it all over the lamb. The peas with braised lettuce is also gorgeous with grilled chicken, lamb cutlets or even the likes of some grilled fish, such as hake, haddock or cod.
Mint is so easy to grow. Indeed, it is hard to stop it growing! This delicious mint sauce is perfect with roast lamb and only takes minutes to prepare. You can chop it or blend it. If you put it in a Kilner jar, it will keep well because the vinegar will preserve it.
Crème Brûlée is my favourite dessert. I was on the radio with Marty Whelan recently and I discovered that it’s also his favourite dessert. This is really two recipes in one. It is also great over ice cream or sliced banana. Crème brûlée is easy to make but it is all about the technique. You make the salted caramel sauce first. Then, to get the custard right, use a bain marie. You half fill the tray with warm water and you are protecting the custard from curdling. You can make this a day or two ahead and then just drizzle over the sugar or icing sugar. We use a cassonade sugar in the restaurant. A mini blow torch costs about ¤20 and it’s a great piece of kitchen equipment.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Roasted lamb with braised lettuce, peas and homemade mint sauce. \ Phillip Doyle.
Roasted lamb with braised lettuce and peas
Serves six
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
20g (3/4oz) packet fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil, extra for cooking
2.3kg (5lb) leg of lamb
1kg (2 1/4lb) white potatoes (even-sized)
100g (4oz) pancetta or streaky bacon rashers, diced
2 little Gem lettuce, quartered
275g (10oz) frozen peas
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Homemade mint sauce (see separate recipe), to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF/gas mark 6). Blend the garlic, mustard, parsley, lemon juice and oil in a food processor to a paste. Smear all over the lamb in a roasting tin.2 Cut the potatoes into slices three-quarters of the way through and tuck around the lamb. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for one hour and 15 minutes, covering with foil if the crust starts getting dark. Rest for 20 minutes.3 Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the bacon until golden, then quickly sauté the lettuce for 10 seconds on each cut side. Tip in the peas with the stock and cook for three to four minutes until tender. 4 Serve the lamb with the braised lettuce and peas, the hasselback potatoes and some homemade mint sauce (see separate recipe).Homemade mint sauce
Makes 150ml (1/4 pint)
20g (3/4oz) packet fresh mint, leaves finely chopped
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp boiling water
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Put the mint in a jug with the sugar and boiling water, stirring to dissolve. Leave to cool and then stir in the vinegar to serve.Salted caramel crème brûlée
Serves eight
For the custard:
60g (2 1/4oz) granulated sugar
1 tbsp water
1 litre (1 ¾ pints) cream
1 ½ tsp sea salt flakes
50g (2oz) butter, cut into cubes
Twelve medium egg yolks
Seeds of 2 vanilla pods or 4 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping:
6 tbsp granulated or icing sugar
1 First make the caramel to flavour the custard. Place the sugar in a heavy-based pan with the water and heat gently, stirring only until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to the boil. Simmer vigorously until the caramel turns a rich amber colour, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent hot spots but on no account stir. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully stir in four tablespoons of the cream with the salt until evenly blended. Stir in the butter, a couple of cubes at a time until you have achieved a smooth caramel and set aside to cool completely.2 When the salted caramel has cooled down, preheat the oven to 150oC (fan 130oC/300oF/gas mark 3). Whisk the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the rest of cream to the boil in a pan with the vanilla. Then remove from the heat and whisk into the egg yolks with the caramel. Sit the bowl over a pan of hot water and heat until the custard starts to thicken, stirring all the time with a plastic spatula. It should have the consistency of single cream.3 Divide the custard between eight 200ml ramekins or moulds that are 7.5cm high. Sit them in a large roasting tin and add warm water until it comes three-quarters up the sides of the ramekins. This is the bain marie and will prevent the custards from getting too hot and curdling in the oven. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 20 minutes. To test if they are cooked, remove one of the custards from the water and shake gently. There should still be slight movement in the centre of the custard. If it is still runny, put it back in the oven and check after another five minutes. 4 Remove the cooked custards from the oven and allow to cool. I prefer to eat these at room temperature, so I do not always put them in the fridge if I can make them earlier on the day that I plan to serve them.5 To finish, sprinkle them liberally with an even layer of the granulated sugar. If you have a blowtorch, this is great for achieving a quick and even glaze. Keep the blowtorch moving so that the sugar does not burn and the delicate custard underneath does not overcook. If not, then dust them with the icing sugar and colour them under a preheated hot grill, having the ramekins as close as possible to the heat. As the sugar is heating, it will bubble and start to colour. More sugar may need to be added, then continue to colour until you’ve achieved a deep golden brown. 6 Once you have the lovely crunchy topping done, leave them to cool a little and then serve. Wait before you move them around, as the sugar gets hot. 
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