Roast shoulder of lamb with summer veg and quinoa
Chef Gearoid Lynch and proprietor of the popular Olde Post Inn brings us this delicious Summer recipe for lamb...
A WORD FROM THE CHEF
This is a perfect Sunday lunch and will be a favourite with all the family. Shoulder of lamb is an economical cut of meat and it's incredibly tasty.
Quinoa is a grain grown for its seeds and is a versatile and nutritious alternative to barley.
INGREDIENTS
(Serves six)
Two garlic cloves, finely chopped
1tbsp olive oil
2tsp cumin seeds
Sale and freshly ground black pepper
One1.4kg shoulder of lamb, boned and tied (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
400g pearl onions or shallots, peeled and left whole
Two celery sticks, chopped
Half a leek, white park only, chopped
500ml lamb stock
One dessertspoon of honey
100gquinoa
700ml water
100g carrots, thinly slicked
100g fresh broad beans, podded and individually peeled
Eight asparagus spears, ends snapped off
Half a courgette, thinly sliced
1tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 140oC. Mix the garlic, olive oil and cumin seeds with some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour this over the lamb and rub it into the meat.
Place the lamb in a deep casserole with the onions, celery and leek and pour over the stock. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for three hours until the lamb is cooked through and soft to touch.
Remove the casserole from the oven. Take the lamb out of the dish, place it in a roasting tin and glaze with the honey. Reserve the cooking liquor in the casserole dish.
Increase the oven temperature to 180oC. Return the lamb to the oven for 15-20 minutes to crisp it up. Remove the lamb from the oven, loosely cover with tin foil and leave to rest.
Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa well and place it in a saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cover with a lid, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the grain unwinds.
Turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly, then drain off any remaining water and fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Using a large spoon, remove any surface fat from the top of the cooking liquor in the casserole. Add the carrots, broad beans, asparagus and courgette slices and return to the hob to heat for three minutes. Add the quinoa and chopped mint and stir to combine.
Transfer the quinoa and vegetables to a large warmed serving dish. Remove the string from the lamb and carve into thick slices.
Sit the lamb on top of the bed of vegetables and quinoa to serve.
ABOUT THE CHEF
Gearoid Lynch is the proprietor of the award-winning Olde Post Inn in Cloverhill and regarded as one of the best ‘gluten free’ chefs in the country.
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