Rack of Lamb on Garlic Mash with Mozzarella Leeks and Minted Kale

It is a special treat rack of lamb but a delicious treat nonetheless. When you buy a rack of lamb make sure the butcher cuts off the chine bone and ask him to French trim the ends of the ribs. I once made the mistake of not checking the chine bone, which connects all the ribs together, and it made it a lot more difficult to prepare back at the van.

 

Ingredients (for two people):

1 rack of lamb, chined and French trimmed
1 leek sliced into about half inch rounds
Mozzarella cut into 1cm slices
Asparagus tips
Carrots sliced lengthways
Butter
Potatoes
Garlic
Kale
Mint (fresh or tinned sauce)
Red wine
Black Garlic (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and a big clove of garlic and get them on the boil.
2. Turn the oven on to gas mark 6.
3. In a hot frying pan brown the rack of lamb on all sides.
4. Put the lamb in a roasting dish, fat side up, and place in the top of the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Give the frying pan a wipe, get back on a medium heat, and place the leek rounds in gently. You want to try and keep their shape. Season with a bit of salt.
6. When they are just starting to brown carefully turn the leeks over. When the other side is done gently place them on a baking tray and top with a slice of mozzarella and a few bread crumbs if you like. Put the leeks in the bottom of the oven.
7. In the frying pan add a knob of butter, a pinch of salt, even a pinch of sugar if you have a sweet tooth, a cup of water and the carrots. Bring to a simmer.
8. After a few minutes add the asparagus to the carrot. We are looking to boil the pan almost dry so the liquid has gone but the veg is all shiny and buttery. This method of cooking veg is called Vichy.
9. Its now about time to get the lamb out. Allow it to rest on a plate to one side. Get all the juices and scrape any bits out of the roasting dish and put in a saucepan with a glass of wine and finely chopped black garlic if you have it, and get it boiling to reduce. If there isn't much roasting juice you can add a bit of a lamb stock cube.
10. In another frying pan or small wok get the kale sautéing.
11. Mash the spuds and garlic clove together, add butter, hot milk and seasoning to taste.
12. Mix in a bit of chopped mint or mint sauce into the kale wok and give it a good mix.
13. Slice the rack between each rib and plate up on top of a big dollop of mash, surrounded by the veg and leeks, drizzled with that lovely wine reduction.

Porky Porky Yum Yums

Here is a mini festival to the wonderful pig that was derived from simply using up stuff in the fridge. Mini pork towers comprising of black pudding, a slice of new potato, chorizo and a ball of sausage meat, bacon wrapped asparagus, pork liver paté stuffed mushrooms also wrapped in bacon, roasted garlic and a cider sauce. The mushrooms were based on the success of the Garlicky Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms we did the other night.

Ingredients:

Black pudding cut into 1cm slices
Chorizo, skinned and cut into 1cm slices.
Sausages skinned and rolled into meatballs
Bacon
Pork liver paté
Big mushrooms
Asparagus
Garlic
Cider
Cream
Chives

Method:

1. In a pan get a bottle of cider boiling to reduce.
2. Pull the stalk out of the mushroom (don't throw it away, keep it as you might be making a gravy or sauce later and the stalks are full of flavour).
3. Stuff the 'shroom with the paté.
4. Wrap with the bacon and secure with a wooden cocktail stick. A good tip is to soak the cocktail sticks in water for half an hour beforehand so they don't burn so much.
5. Shove in the oven on top shelf on gas 6.
6. Wrap 4 or 5 asparagus spears with a rasher or 2 of bacon and place in the oven on bottom shelf.
7. In a small oven dish drizzle the garlic cloves with oil and put in the oven on the bottom shelf.
8. Brown the meatballs in a frying pan then place on the bottom shelf of the oven.
9. Sauté the potato slices in the same frying pan then place on top shelf of the oven.
10. Fry the chorizo and black pudding until done.
11. Take the cider sauce off the heat and add a small dollop of cream some chopped chives
12. Everything should be just about done now so make your towers and plate up.

Garlicky Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms

Either as a starter or snack these bacon wrapped stuffed mushrooms can be stuffed with all sorts of goodies. Here I have simply used garlic and cheese.

 

Ingredients:

Big mushrooms
Thinly sliced bacon or pancetta
Garlic
Cheese

Method:

1. Pull the stalk out of the mushroom (don't throw it away, keep it as you might be making a gravy or sauce later and the stalks are full of flavour).
2. Stuff the 'shroom with cheese, I used a mixture of grated cheddar and grated mozzarella.
3. Grate or crush some garlic on top.
4. Wrap with the bacon and secure with a wooden cocktail stick. A good tip is to soak the cocktail sticks in water for half an hour beforehand so they don't burn so much.
5. Bake in the oven on gas 6 until the bacon looks done.