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James Street Cookery School: Roast lamb and apple or pear tarte tatin for Easter

Roast lamb – Heston likes anchovies, for Jamie it's rosemary but Niall's way is to cook it with fresh mint
Roast lamb – Heston likes anchovies, for Jamie it's rosemary but Niall's way is to cook it with fresh mint Roast lamb – Heston likes anchovies, for Jamie it's rosemary but Niall's way is to cook it with fresh mint

WITH Easter here and the holiday weekend weather looking promising at the time of writing, this week’s menu reflects the best of fresh springtime ingredients.

When it comes to a celebratory spring feast, there’s no better dish to serve than fresh lamb. There are many interpretations for roast leg of lamb; Heston Blumenthal does his with anchovies, Jamie prepares his with rosemary but my favourite is to use fresh mint. It’s the perfect flavour to accompany this succulent meat and makes for a show-stopping main course.

Finish off with a delicious and easy-to-make apple Tarte Tatin with ice cream, or swap the apples for pears for a twist on the classic dish. Happy Easter everyone!

LEG OF LAMB

(Serves 6)

1 bunch mint

1 bulb garlic

2kg leg of lamb

Maldon sea salt

black pepper

rapeseed oil

Method

When cooking any meat it is always best to bring it up to room temperature before putting it into the oven, so take the lamb out of the fridge 30 minutes before popping into the oven, preheated to 170C.

Using a sharp knife, peel the garlic cloves and trim the mint. Using a knife, make incisions into the skin of the leg of lamb. Wrap a whole clove of garlic in mint leaf and pop into the incisions in the leg.

I always like to colour my meat in a frying pan so heat some oil (Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil is both local and healthier than vegetable oil). Season the leg with plenty of salt and pepper and place in the hot pan to colour. Once all sides are coloured, put it in the roasting tray and roast in the oven for up to 90 minutes for medium cooking for an average-size leg weighing 2kg.

Once cooked, take out of the oven and cover with tinfoil to rest. This is an important step as resting from the oven relaxes the meat. Depending on what you’re serving, keep the running juices from the roasting pan to create a delicious jus accompaniment.

APPLE (OR PEAR) TARTE TATIN

(Serves 4)

80g sugar

30g butter

1 granny smith apple (or pear)

1 sheet of puff pastry

vanilla ice cream

Method

Heat the butter in a pan and add the sugar until caramelised. You can assemble the tarte tatin in the same pan, or alternatively pour the mixture into a mould of your choice, ensuring the base is fully covered. Peel and slice your chosen fruit and place on top of the caramel.

Next, cut a disc of puff pastry to fit the mould (approximately 5mm thickness). Place on top of the apples or pears and tuck in the pastry at the edges. Bake at 180C for 10-15 mins until the pastry is golden. Turn out and serve with good quality vanilla ice cream.

:: To watch a video of Niall cooking these recipes visit jamesstandco.com/news or James Street South – The Cookery School YouTube Channel