Aah - the humble spud! Unassuming on the outside (and often a little dusty and muddy), someone should write an ode to celebrate this marvel-veg!
Lamb Seasoning is the best good friend a potato could wish for...
Duck-Fat Roast Potatoes for special occasions (like Saturdays!)
Pre-heat your oven to 170°C. Peel ± 60g of garlic and place in a pot with 90g duck fat (absolutely essential - nothing else works!). Add 6 sprigs of thyme and 4 sprigs of rosemary. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes with the lid on.
Peel 2kg of baking potatoes & cut into 25mm (1") squares. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain into a colander and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes to dry.
Take the garlic out of the duck fat and set aside. Discard the herbs. Increase the oven temp to 220°C. Mix 45g of Semolina with 1½ tsp of Lamb Seasoning.
Return the potatoes to the pot and drizzle duck fat over the top. Sprinkle a third of the semolina mix over the potatoes, put on the lid and shake lightly. Repeat twice with the rest of the semolina mix.
Spoon the potatoes onto a large baking sheet, lined with baking paper. Spread the potatoes out evenly (the more space they have, the crisper they’ll be!) and bake for 40-45 minutes. Turn the potatoes once. Put the garlic into the pan and allow to warm through. Garnish with fresh thyme.
Congratulations! You have mastered one of the greatest roast potato dishes EVER!
It was one of those 'accidental-on-purpose' discoveries that turned into a family favourite.
A garlic butter sauce with a splash of Verjuice (or a couple of drops of cider vinegar or lemon juice) and some Lamb Seasoning make a superlative 'dressing' for artichokes and spinach - even Jerusalem Artichokes love it.
As does asparagus...
These crumbed lamb chops are delicious, good looking and quick to make.
Pre-heat oven to 220℃.
Pre-season 6 lamb chops with a light sprinkling of Lamb Seasoning.
Process 3 slices of bread with 15ml olive oil and 45ml Lamb Seasoning.
Put your lamb chops on a roasting tray and roast for 8 minutes.
Take the chops out of the oven and press the chops firmly into the crumb on all sides. Return to the roasting tray and the oven and roast for ±8min or until the crust is golden.
Serve on creamy garlic mashed potatoes with some greens on the side...
It might have been Julia Child who said it: "Impatience ruins good meat", and so does overcooking. If there is a golden rule: you can always gently cook underdone meat a little more, but you cannot un-cook, over done, bone dry meat. Meat is a sensitive beast - treat it well and your efforts will be rewarded!
If you've managed to get your hands on a magnificent rack of lamb - always choose a piece with some fat - (fat is flavour!) - season it with Lamb Seasoning at least 6 hours before cooking. Store covered in the fridge until an hour before you plan to start cooking. Then let it stand outside the fridge to get to room temperature.
Pre-heat oven to 250℃. Start in a cold pan and put the rack fat side down so that some of the lamb fat renders. Brown the rack on all sides, place in a roasting pan and pour some of the browning pan fat over the rack. Pop it into the oven and roast for 10 (rare) -12 (med-rare) minutes. Remove from oven, cover the roasting dish with a lid or foil and allow to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Meantime, deglaze the frying pan and make a sauce of you choice. Thyme and garlic works well, as does a light red wine and garlic...
This is 10min roasting + 15 min rest in 40℃ warmer (it was a cold day!)
Bottomline: respect the meat and respond to the environment - in cold weather meat behaves differently than in hot weather - and people always wait for food, food should not wait for people!