14th November 2011
Shoulder of Lamb with Peas, Beans & Onion Rings by Charlie Lockley
In Week Two of Britain's Best Dish - The Chefs, Charlie Lockley cooked a mouthwatering lamb dish, that got him through to the quarter final. Here's the recipe, so you can try it out for yourself.
Serves 4
For the lamb
1.5–2kg shoulder of lamb, boned
150g sea salt
Large sprig of summer savory, thyme or rosemary
100ml olive oil
For the onion rings
100g ‘00’ pasta flour
50g cornflour
25g baking powder
200–300ml sparkling mineral water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion
500ml peanut oil
For the vegetables
8 baby onions
150g garden peas
150g broad beans (podded weight)
Wild sweet cicely, roughly chopped (optional)
To garnish (optional)
Chickweed
Pea flowers
1. To prepare the shoulder of lamb, trim off excess fat. Dissolve the salt in 2 litres of water in a large lidded container to make the brine. Add the lamb, cover with the lid and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4). Remove the meat from the pan, wash away the brine and pat dry. Put the meat in a small roasting tin with the summer savory or other herbs. Cover with the oil and some foil and cook in the oven for 4–5 hours until the meat is tender and basting occasionally.
3. For the onion rings, first make the batter. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl, add 200ml of mineral water and mix with a hand-held blender until smooth, adding more water if needed. You don’t want the batter to be too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Peel the onion and slice very thinly into rings. Take eight rings, remove any thin membrane and pat dry. Heat the oil to 190°C in a large pan or a deep fryer. Drop the onion rings into the batter, two at a time, then lower them into the hot oil, making sure they don’t touch each other, and deep fry for about 1 minute until they are golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and then place in the oven with the lamb on a baking sheet to keep warm.
5. To cook the vegetables, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the baby onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Place on kitchen paper and leave to cool until ready to handle. Cut in half, peel, divide the segments and put into the oven with the onion rings. Using the same water, cook the peas for no longer than 20 seconds, then transfer into iced water to stop the cooking. Again using the same water, cook the broad beans for about 1 minute and transfer into the cold water. Peel off the broad bean skins, then put the beans in a small bowl and pulse with a hand-held blender until roughly chopped.
6. Transfer the lamb from the roasting tin and set aside in a warm place to rest. Put the baby onion segments, chopped broad beans and the peas into a pan. Then skim the lamb’s cooking juices and add just enough to the pan to bind the vegetables together. Heat through, season with salt and pepper and stir in the sweet cicely (if using).
7. To serve, trim the lamb into four portions and place on the centre of warmed plates. Place the bean mix and lamb juices around the lamb and add onion rings on top. Garnish with the chickweed and pea flowers (if using).
Charlie is head chef at Boath House in Nairn. Have you tried his food in the restaurant? If so, send The Good Food Guide your feedback!
Charlie's recipe from Britain's Best Dish - The Chefs, along with the other 112 recipes featured in the show, can be found in the sumptuous new recipe book Britain's Best Dish - The Chefs.