Confit shoulder of organic lamb, poached plum tomatoes, French beans and potato purée

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Nigel Haworth's luxurious confit lamb shoulder recipe makes a decadent alternative to a Sunday roast, cooking the organic lamb in duck fat for an unctuous result. Served with roast garlic, sprightly poached tomatoes and potato purée, this recipe is hard to beat.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Confit lamb

Lamb sauce

Roasted garlic

Potato purée

  • 800g of potatoes, Maris Piper or Desiree, peeled and chopped
  • 150ml of milk
  • 50g of butter
  • salt

Poached tomatoes

French beans

Method

1
Generously salt the shoulder of lamb and leave to rest overnight for approximately 12 hours
2
Preheat the oven to 140⁰C/gas mark 1
3
Wash off the excess salt under cold running water and dry the shoulder thoroughly with a kitchen cloth. Make small incisions on both sides of the shoulder and stud with the rosemary and garlic
4
Transfer the shoulder to a deep roasting tin and completely cover with the duck fat. Cover the roasting tin with silicon paper and tin foil, then slow cook for 3–3 ½ hours
5
Meanwhile, prepare the lamb sauce. Lightly caramelise the shallots in a dash of oil, then add the Madeira and reduce by ¾. Add the lamb and chicken stock and reduce down to desired consistency. Pass through muslin cloth into a clean pan, blending in the butter with a hand blender to finish. Reserve the sauce, ready to reheat before serving
6
When the lamb is almost ready, cut the garlic bulbs in half and wrap in tin foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a little salt. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until ready to serve
7
Remove the lamb from the oven and leave to cool a little. Once cooled, place the shoulder in a separate tray to cool and set
8
For the potato purée, place the potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked. Strain and mash the potatoes, adding the milk, butter and salt and beating until smooth. Season the mash to taste and keep warm until ready to serve
  • 800g of potatoes, Maris Piper or Desiree, peeled and chopped
  • 150ml of milk
  • 50g of butter
  • salt
9
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
10
Once the shoulder has cooled and set, transfer to a carving board and cut into 5 even pieces using a very sharp knife. Place the lamb shoulder pieces in the hot oven until crispy on the outside
11
In a medium saucepan, gently poach the tomatoes in the white wine, olive oil, garlic and rosemary until tender. Season with salt and pepper and set aside until required
12
Gently reheat the lamb sauce in a saucepan
13
Meanwhile, boil the French beans in lightly salted water until al dente, then drain and refresh in iced water until cool. Dry the pan and return the beans back into it with a knob of butter to reheat. Season generously before serving
14
To serve, place a piece of lamb shoulder on each plate and arrange the roasted garlic, poached tomatoes and French beans around it. Spoon over the lamb sauce and serve the hot potato purée in a separate serving dish, or add a quenelle of mash to each plate if preferred
First published in 2015

Nigel Haworth was the driving culinary force behind the Northcote for over three decades but since handing over the reins in 2018 has shifted his focus to gastropub The Three Fishes, where as chef patron he serves a sustainable farm-to-table menu.

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