Lamb Cutlets, minted mash and glazed baby onions

Lamb Cutlet Portions: 4

Ingredients:

• Lamb cutlets (3 each)
• 1kg King Edward Potatoes
• Bunch of mint
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 10g of Parmesan
• 10g of Pine nuts
• 50ml Olive oil
• Half a Lemon
• 200g Baby Onions
• 200g Carrots
• 100ml Double Cream
• 200g Butter
• 20g Sugar

This recipe was one of my first recipes that I served at the restaurant I am at, the Prism. The CEO of the company wanted to see how I was getting on with my progress and asked me to cook her a menu for her, as well as my head chef and the managers of the restaurant.


Lamb is probably one of favourite meats to eat, the flavour is like nothing else and is just as versatile as beef. Using cutlets or chops to some people is a real gift to work with, an expensive cut but cooked right and served well I think it is the most rewarding cut of lamb to use. It can also be cooked in so many different ways. Growing up, I can remember my dad marinading lamb chops in a tandoori mix and just grilling it, crisping up the fat and I can say to this day there is not a lot better to me. But it can be roasting whole, or pan frying as individuals pieces, as well as stewed.


The Lamb


For the purpose of this recipe I have prepared the chops for a restaurant standard, cleaning the bones, trimming and cleaning up the rack, and if you do spend the time to do this you can really impress your guests. However yo can ask your butcher to do it if you wish.


Take the full rack of lamb and cling film up the cleaned bones to prevent the bones from burning when in the oven. The first stage is to brown of the meat in a hot pan. Do not put any oil in the pan, placing the lamb fat side down first will provide enough oil to cook the meat. Render down the fat until golden and do this on all side and the place in the oven to finish cooking. Depending on the size, it should take about 10-15 minutes to cook to a medium rare, which is what I would recommend but if you like it cooked more then leave it in for another 5 minutes or so.

Once you take it out leave it to rest for 10 minutes, the lamb will be horrible to cut, as well as to eat. The fibres need to relax and release from the cooking making it softer and more tender to eat. You should do this for any meat, especially red meat or game.


The Mash


Use King Edward potatoes to make your mash as there is no better! Place them to boil on and once boiling, turn down the heat and cook slowly and more gently. Once cooked, mash up and pass through a drum sieve for the ultimate smoothness to your mash. At the same time warm up some butter and cream on the stove to be added to the mash, AND DONT BE SHY! You may think that adding all this butter and cream to your mash is bad but for the best mash it is essential. I think it was Marco Pierre White that said 'The potatoes is there to stop the Butter from splitting' and who’s to argue with him?

Once your mash is made the mint pesto needs to be added to it. Place in a blender with your mint leaves, a sprinkling of roasted pine nuts, grated parmesan, chopped garlic. As well as a drop of lemon juice and a good helping of olive oil. And blitz it, but not for too long. Blitz it until you have a paste and that is it, the longer you blitz it the more brown the mint will go. Season and add it to your cream smooth mash.


The Vegetables


To be honest I would say serve this dish with whatever vegetables you are comfortable with and that you love. Personally I would glaze some baby onions and some carrots and no more. Glazing is a simple but effective process that I don't think is used enough in house holds, and it works for nearly every vegetable but works best with root and ground growing veg.


Put the vegetables in a pan with some melted butter, sugar and salt. Season the vegetables a little and pour in a drop of water. Just enough to cover the ingredients and no more. This water needs to have evaporated once finished, leaving you with some deliciously sweet and caramelized vegetables. It is important to place what kitchens call a 'cartouche' which is simply a piece of baking paper that is cut in to a circle to cover the vegetables. We use this instead of a lid because where as a lid will allow for know evaporation, a cartouche will steam as well as allow for evaporation which is essential for this process

Finish this dish of with a jus or a home-made gravy and you wont feel let down!