Published 7/12/2021
When it comes to the meat we serve at Christmas, lamb doesn’t tend to spring to mind, but that shouldn’t be so according to Private Chef, Christopher Warwick. The full flavour meat is perfect as a roast lamb shoulder with wild mushrooms, aged balsamic vinegar and gratin dauphinoise.
‘This a great festive treat for the family and friends to share before the Christmas Turkey time kicks in, lamb is normally associated with spring, but actually the most full flavoured meat is in the winter so great for a celebration meal on the run up to Christmas.’
Ingredients
Serves 6
For the Roasted Lamb with Wild Mushrooms and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
3 kg Lamb shoulder
400g mixed wild mushrooms of the season for example: trompette de mort, chanterelles or girolles, washed and picked into smaller pieces.
20ml of the best quality balsamic vinegar you can afford - prices are quite high the more aged the vinegar is I would stick to a good 10 year old balsamic vinegar
50 ml quality vegetable oil
50 g melted butter
400ml white chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning
Equipment
1x Heavy based large roasting tray large enough to fit the 3kg lamb shoulder
1x Earthenware dish approx - 8cm deep – 30 cm long – 20 cm wide
1 x Baking tray
Method
- Preheat your oven to 130℃
- Take your 3kg shoulder of lamb and place it on the roasting tray. Rub with the vegetable oil and season all over including the underside of the shoulder, then cover the whole tray with tin foil.
- Roast at 130℃ for approx. 3- 3/12, hours then take the lamb out of the oven, drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
- For the mushrooms that have been previously washed and picked, place them on a small baking tray and sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little of the melted butter and gentle grill until just cooked - approx 1-2 minutes.
- To serve the lamb, put it in a family style serving dish and scatter the mushrooms over it.
- For some delicious roasting juices, deglaze the tray that you used to roast the lamb with a little chicken stock and pour generously over the lamb leg for that enhanced flavor and juice.
- On the side serve with the most delicious gratin dauphinoise (see recipe below).
Gratin Dauphinoise
Ingredients
10 large Désirée potatoes
1x clove of garlic crushed
1x sprig of thyme
1.2 litres of whipping cream
Equipment
1x Mandolin slicer for thinly slicing the potatoes
1x Earthenware dish approx - 8cm deep – 30 cm long – 20 cm wide
1 x Saucepan
Tin foil for covering
Method
- Preheat the oven to approx. 140℃
- In a pan, bring the cream just to the boil with the garlic and thyme. Then remove from the heat and allow the garlic and thyme to infuse with cream and cool slightly.
- Peel the potatoes and then thinly slice on the mandolin wafer thin, it's important to peel them into water so they do not go an unattractive brown colour.
- Now squeeze any excess water from the potatoes and then start to mix the slices with the cream.
- Take your earthenware dish and layer up the potato slices one by one evenly across your dish whilst distributing cream into each layer. Carry on doing this until you have reached the top of the earthenware dish then press down to flatten it a little.
- Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven and cook for approximately 40 minutes. Then remove the tin foil, turn the oven up to 160℃ and cook for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown.
- Serve the dish at the table family style along the roasted shoulder of lamb.
