LAMB FAT RECIPES

Steps:

• This recipe works great as a stand-alone dish, but also as a component in Jamie’s Summery Feast from Together – see the full collection of menus here. GET AHEAD For the stuffing, put a high-sided roasting tray (25cm x 30cm) on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins straight into the pan, breaking it up with the back of a spoon. Let the sausage start to crisp up, stirring occasionally, then tear in the sage leaves. Trim the fennel, peel the onions, then roughly chop both, add to the tray, and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes, or until soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine and let it completely cook away, then season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Chop the bread into 2cm chunks and stir in, then turn the heat off and leave to cool completely. Lay out the lamb on a clean work surface. Scrunch and spread the cold stuffing all over the meat, then roll it up, sealing the filling inside (if any falls out, just poke it back in at the ends once tied up). Cut yourself eight 60cm lengths of string, slide them underneath the lamb at regular intervals, then tie them up at the top. Wipe out the tray, chuck in the lamb bones, break apart and add the unpeeled garlic bulb, then sit the lamb on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. ON THE DAY Preheat the oven to full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9). Get the lamb tray out of the fridge, rub the meat with a little olive oil, place in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 150ºC. Roast for 4 hours, or until tender, basting every hour with the tray juices and adding a splash of water each time. Remove from the oven and transfer the lamb to a serving platter. Cover with tin foil and a clean tea towel, and leave to rest for 1 hour. Use a spoon to skim the fat off the tray of bones (save it in a jar for tasty cooking another day). Put the tray over a medium heat on the hob and stir in the flour, jam and a swig of red wine vinegar, scraping up all the sticky bits from the base of the tray. Cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in 1.2 litres of water. Let it simmer on a low heat to the consistency of your liking, stirring occasionally. Pass the gravy through a sieve into a pan and season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Simmer on the lowest heat until needed. TO SERVE Uncover the lamb, spooning any resting juices into the gravy. Cut away the string, then spoon over the Green sauce. Take it to the table, ready to carve in front of your guests.

Steps:

• 1. Score the fat of the lamb chops, season them with sea salt and black pepper, then line them up, like a rack, and sit them together fat edges down in a large shallow casserole pan on a medium-high heat. Leave for 5 minutes to render and crisp up.
  2. Trim and add the whole baby carrots (halving any larger ones) and the unpeeled garlic cloves alongside, turning the carrots regularly.
  3. Gently turn the chops on to their sides, to cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden, but still pink in the middle.
  4. Meanwhile, use a speed-peeler to peel strips of zest from 1 orange. Sprinkle them into the pan with the thyme sprigs, and toss it all together for just 30 seconds to get the flavours going.
  5. Remove the chops to a plate to rest, then squeeze the juice from all 3 oranges into the pan. Let the juice bubble and reduce until sticky, quickly toss the lamb back in with its resting juices, then hey presto, time to dish up.