slow cooked breast of lamb
If you think about it, breast of lamb should really be ticking all the boxes for the solitary skint foodie. It's cheap; it's most often packaged as a 2-3 portion rolled and boneless joint, just right for a Sunday lunch plus leftovers; and it comes with the promise of sweet and tender meat.
But before I cooked it using this method, I found the box it most vehemently ticked, with a mahoosive, fuck-off, indelible marker pen, was the one marked 'Vast Amounts Of Unappetising Fat'.
Now fat can be a glorious thing, particularly when we're talking pork and beef. But in my opinion a little lamb fat goes a long way. So here's a recipe with a remarkably fat-free result. Ideally, buy a whole unrolled breast from a butcher and ask them to de-bone it for you. When you've got it back in the kitchen, pare off as much fat as you can get at, without shredding the bugger out of existence. Then roll it up as best as you can and tie up with string:
But before I cooked it using this method, I found the box it most vehemently ticked, with a mahoosive, fuck-off, indelible marker pen, was the one marked 'Vast Amounts Of Unappetising Fat'.
Now fat can be a glorious thing, particularly when we're talking pork and beef. But in my opinion a little lamb fat goes a long way. So here's a recipe with a remarkably fat-free result. Ideally, buy a whole unrolled breast from a butcher and ask them to de-bone it for you. When you've got it back in the kitchen, pare off as much fat as you can get at, without shredding the bugger out of existence. Then roll it up as best as you can and tie up with string:
There are two stages to this recipe, so it's ideal for making over two days; but there's not a lot of work involved even if you choose to do it all on the same day.
serves two
1 de-boned breast of lamb, seasoned, rolled and tied
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 glass red wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bayleaf
3 juniper berries, crushed
2 sprigs of thyme
500ml chicken stock
salt + black pepper
Stage one:
Place an (ideally) oval casserole over a reasonably high heat. Add the oil, then the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have taken on a bit of colour. Add the garlic and stir. Add the red wine and let it bubble away to almost nothing, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping up any stickiness on the base of the casserole.
Add the bayleaf, juniper and thyme. Nestle the lamb into the vegetables and pour in the stock. Bring this to a simmer, then put the lid on the casserole and place in a 150C/130C fan oven for three hours, turning the joint once during this time.
At the end of the three hours, take the casserole out of the oven, remove the lamb and strain the gravy into a jug. Discard the vegetables and herbs. Allow both the lamb and the stock to cool, then refrigerate for several hours (or until the next day).
Stage two:
Remove the lamb and the stock from the fridge. After skimming off all the fat that has risen to the top of the jug of stock, pour it into a small pan and season to taste (you'll end up with about 200ml) - this is your gravy. Let the lamb come back to room temperature, then brush with a little olive oil, place in a small roasting tin and roast in a 200C/180C fan oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until browned and heated through. Remove from the oven and rest, covered with tinfoil, while you warm up the gravy. Remove the string from around the joint, cut the lamb into thick slices and serve with the gravy poured over and maybe some mint sauce or redcurrant jelly on the side.
1 de-boned breast of lamb, seasoned, rolled and tied
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 glass red wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bayleaf
3 juniper berries, crushed
2 sprigs of thyme
500ml chicken stock
salt + black pepper
Stage one:
Place an (ideally) oval casserole over a reasonably high heat. Add the oil, then the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have taken on a bit of colour. Add the garlic and stir. Add the red wine and let it bubble away to almost nothing, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping up any stickiness on the base of the casserole.
Add the bayleaf, juniper and thyme. Nestle the lamb into the vegetables and pour in the stock. Bring this to a simmer, then put the lid on the casserole and place in a 150C/130C fan oven for three hours, turning the joint once during this time.
At the end of the three hours, take the casserole out of the oven, remove the lamb and strain the gravy into a jug. Discard the vegetables and herbs. Allow both the lamb and the stock to cool, then refrigerate for several hours (or until the next day).
Stage two:
Remove the lamb and the stock from the fridge. After skimming off all the fat that has risen to the top of the jug of stock, pour it into a small pan and season to taste (you'll end up with about 200ml) - this is your gravy. Let the lamb come back to room temperature, then brush with a little olive oil, place in a small roasting tin and roast in a 200C/180C fan oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until browned and heated through. Remove from the oven and rest, covered with tinfoil, while you warm up the gravy. Remove the string from around the joint, cut the lamb into thick slices and serve with the gravy poured over and maybe some mint sauce or redcurrant jelly on the side.