Lots of people associate Scotch lamb with spring but it is actually at its peak in the autumn when it has had more time to develop a fuller flavour.
Quality Meat Scotland have just started a campaign drawing attention to all the benefits which Scotch lamb has to offer and a number of Scotland’s best known chefs have added their backing to the cause.
Tom Lewis, chef patron of Monachyle Mohr, is teaming up with a host of award winning chefs including triple AA Rosette award winner Michael Smith of Three Chimneys Restaurant on the Isle of Skye; Craig Green of Eat on the Green in Aberdeen; Tony Singh of Edinburgh’s Oloroso; Jacqueline O’Donnell of Glasgow-based restaurant The Sisters.
These Scotch lamb champions will all be offering their support, sharing their own favourite lamb recipes and placing a special Scotch lamb dish on their menus.
We have a recipe from Tom Lewis, who farms 800 Scottish Black Faced ewes on his family farm. The recipe takes a bit of prep but it’s not complicated and if you can get it to look as good as Tom’s version below then you can give yourself a very large pat on the back.
Lamb Neck Fillet, Braised Chicory, Garden Beetroot
Serves 2
2 neck fillets
1 chicory
1 whole beetroot, skin on and leaves kept
Chicken stock
Wild thyme
1 tsp creamed horseradish
Sherry vinegar
Red wine
Olive oil
Butter
Method
Heat oven to 220’c
Beetroot
Cut off leaves, leaving a little stalk on. Set aside.
Rub whole beetroot (skin on) with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap in tin foil. Place in hot oven and roast for 45 minutes – 1 hour (depending on size of beetroot) until cooked, they should feel tender when a knife is inserted.
Remove from oven, take out of the foil and peel off the skin. Cut into even, dice sized pieces, set aside. Keep the trim from the diced beetroot and place into a food processor with the horseradish, salt and pepper and blitz to a puree. Pass this through a sieve. Set aside.
Neck fillet
Season the neck fillets well with salt and pepper. Strip the leaves from the thyme stalks and rub these into the meat. Heat a pan on high heat, add a splash of olive oil and sear to colour for 2 minutes on each side. Place in hot oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to rest for at least 4-5 minutes.
Chicory
Heat pan on high. Remove outer leaves of chicory. Cut in half. Add a splash of oil and a knob of butter to the pan. Add the chicory halves and cook until they start to colour and caramelize. Add a small ladle of chicken stock, a few sprigs of thyme and braise for a further 8 – 10 minutes until tender.
Heat pan. Wilt the beetroot leaves in a little butter and water, season. Remove from pan and pat dry.
Deglaze the pan the lamb was cooked in by returning it to the heat, add a splash of sherry vinegar, a splash of red wine, reduce this for a minute or so, then add half a ladle of chicken stock, a few sprigs of wild thyme and a knob of butter if you’re feeling decadent!
Place the chicory on a warm plate, spoon the wilted leaves and stalks alongside, add a spoonful of beetroot puree, slice the lamb and place on top and finish with the gravy.
