Lamb Rump with hot pressed Lamb Shoulder and French Peas

This flavoursome dish is prefect for cold winter evenings. Prepare in advance and put the finishing touches together on the day!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 X 180gm Lamb Rump
½ Boneless Lamb Shoulder
2 rashers of streaky bacon
12 Dutch carrots
12 pickling onions
100gms green peas
300mls cream
Pinch of bi carb soda
2 brown onion
1 teaspoon cumin seeds and coriander seeds
2 lt chicken or Veal Stock
Salt and pepper

Method:

For the lamb shoulder:

Dry toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds and crush. Season lamb shoulder with salt pepper and spices, seal shoulder in a very hot fry pan and transfer to a deep baking dish, in the same pan slice and sweat 1 brown onion and add to lamb shoulder, pour over enough stock to cover the lamb and cover dish tightly with foil. Braise lamb for approx 3 hours @160°c until tender. Remove lamb from oven and place on a tray, in the meantime lay out 6 overlapping sheets of cling film twice the size of your lamb shoulder and while hot place the shoulder on the cling film and wrap it very tightly like a sausage and tie both ends in a knot and refrigerate. Reserve your stock. This is better done a day ahead.

For the sauce:

From your reserved braising liquid pass the stock through a fine chinoise and place in a pot and bring to the boil, remove all the fat and scum that rises with a ladle and reduce down over a slow simmer till a thick sauce consistency is achieved. Set aside

For the French peas:

Slice and sweat your brown onion add the cream and reduce for 3 minutes, add the peas and cook for a further 5 mins then add bi carb and season with salt and pepper, place all this in a blender and blend until a smooth puree is achieved. This can be done a day ahead

Place a pot of water on the stove and blanch Dutch carrots and small brown onions, then set a pan on the heat add olive oil and place carrots on onions in the pan. Season with salt and cook until golden brown.

For the lamb rump:

Dice your bacon and set aside, put a pan on the heat and cook bacon until very crisp and golden, reserve bacon fat, with the pan still on add your lamb rumps and seal over very high heat then place in 200°C for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for at least 5 minutes

Assembly:

Slice your chilled lamb shoulder and place in the oven for 8 minutes on baking paper, heat pea puree, carrots, onions and sauce. Smear pea puree over a warmed plate add lamb shoulder, and arrange your vegetables, slice your lamb rump into 6 slices and arrange in a row on the
plate, pour sauce over the rump and shoulder and sprinkle crispy bacon over the entire dish. Garnish with a few micro herbs.

Enjoy!