Recipe of the month: Duo of lamb with red cabbage, pea puree and fondant potato
As we enjoy the last few weeks of spring, we bring you one of our most complimented dishes of the season – spring wouldn't be spring without lamb now would it?
Adam's duo of lamb was a clear favourite with Chardon guests so you can be confident your diners will absolutely love it. If nothing else, enjoy this post and see how much work goes into every menu at Le Chardon. And this is just one course!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
For the lamb shoulder
1 lamb shoulder with bone (about 3K)
1 pack of parma ham
2 onions
1 carrot
1 leek
4 cloves garlic
1 bottle red wine
3 bay leafs
1 tablespoon tomato purée
5 long sprigs rosemary
For the fondant potatoes:
3 large baking potatoes
1 pack butter
4 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
For the red cabbage:
Half a red cabbage (thinly sliced)
1 white onion (thinly sliced)
200ml red wine
1 cinnamon stick
100g brown sugar
25g butter
3 star anise
Preparing your lamb
Heat a heavy based saucepan, add a splash of olive oil and brown the seasoned lamb shoulder for 3 mins on each side.
Roughly chop the leeks and carrots and add them together with the rosemary, garlic, tomato puree, bay leafs and red wine to your seasoned lamb. Heat until the wine has reduced by half.
Next, pour enough water on to cover the lamb, cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven at 110 degrees for 8 hours. Now if you were in the mountains you could pop out for a full day's ski in this time! But you could always fit in another lovely day trip.
After 8 hours remove from the oven and with a slotted spoon, take out the lamb. Careful - it will almost be falling off the bone.
Put the pan back on the stove and reduce the liquid by about 2/3rds until it starts to thicken. This is your sauce, which you'll need to pass through a sieve, once it reaches the right consistency.
Rolling the lamb
Sweat off 2 sliced red onions for 7 mins in a medium hot pan until nice and soft.
Once the lamb has cooled enough for you to handle, pick out the bone and any sinew and place the nice chunks of lamb into the red onions. Season and add a splash of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of the sauce.
Lay out a piece of cling film about 20 inches long and lay 8 slices of Parma ham slightly overlapping each other on the cling film.
Spread the lamb mix in a thick sausage shape (about 1.5 inches in diameter along the centre of the Parma ham and roll Parma ham over the lamb from the top and bottom, and wrap the cling film around it.
Now roll this in a piece of tin foil and tighten both ends, you should have something that resembles a long sausage wrapped in foil about the width of a cucumber.
Place in the fridge for 2 hours to cool down and set.
Fondant potato
Peel 3 large potatoes and slice in 1/2 inch thick slices. Then use a cutter to cut the discs into circles (you can also do squares). Place in a deep roasting tin with 1 pack of butter 4 garlic cloves and 3 bay leaves.
Cook in a medium hot oven (180 degrees) for 1 hour or until very soft.
Pea puree
Sweat off 6 chopped shallots on a low heat for 30 mins. Remove from the heat, add a knob of butter, a tablespoon of sugar and 400g frozen peas. There will be enough heat in the pan to defrost and cook the peas. Any cooking at this point will discolour the peas so don't be tempted!
Blitz in a food processor until it looks like thick mushy peas.
Red cabbage
Sweat off the cabbage and thinly sliced onions with a tablespoon of olive oil for 5 mins on a low heat. Add in all the other ingredients and turn the heat down low. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 40 mins until the cabbage is soft. You'll need to check every few minutes, as you may need to add a little water if the pan is going dry.
To serve
You're on the final stretch now.
Warm the fondant potatoes in a low oven for 15 mins (120 degrees).
Take the rolled lamb shoulder out of the fridge, remove the foil and slice into 1.5 inch long pieces. Remove cling film and place in a low oven for 15 mins. (120 degrees as before).
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan to very hot (almost smoking). Season 2x8 bone lamb racks (french trimmed). Seal on all four sides for 2 mins each.
Place in a hot oven (200 degrees) for 10 mins and rest for 5 mins.
Meanwhile, reheat the pea puree on a low heat being careful not to burn the bottom.
Time to plate up
Place the fondant potato on the plate with the rolled lamb shoulder on top. Add a spoonful of pea puree and some of the braised red cabbage. Place the rack on the cabbage and finish with a drizzle of the reheated lamb sauce.
Now all you need is to pour out the Bordeaux and lap up the compliments from your delighted guests and hope they still have room for pudding!
Chef's top tip: If you are lucky enough to have any lamb shoulder left it makes great bubble and squeak with the mashed potato you can make from the trimmings of your fondant potatoes!
About Adam Talbot
Adam is head chef at Le Chardon, who not only looks after our team of chefs in resort but the guests in our flagship luxury ski chalet Chardon. A chef for a mighty 17 years, Adam is also a boarder and skier, who counts a front side nose roll among his boarding repertoire. In the kitchen, he considers himself a creative traditionalist, with a secret penchant for cider vinegar, star anise and smoked paprika. In fact two of his favourite ingredients snuck into another special creation of Adam's: the Goats cheese fondant, candied walnut, black olive sand with beetroot elements, poached apple and wholegrain mustard dressing – which makes a delicious starter.
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