Crispy lamb breast with local goats curd, young courgettes, nasturtium, burnt onion

Chris Harrod

Chris Harrod

31st July 2018
Chris Harrod

Crispy lamb breast with local goats curd, young courgettes, nasturtium, burnt onion

Serves 4. Lamb recipes tend to be exceptionally varied, with meals that offer classic comfort food as well as dishes that boast a more delicate, refined flavour. In celebration of Welsh Lamb Day (1st August), take a look at the Crispy lamb breast recipe below as tried and tested by our professional chefs.

Ingredients

  • For the lamb breast:
  • 2 lamb breast, deboned
  • 200g Sea salt
  • 4 cloves of Garlic
  • 8 sprigs Thyme
  • 2 sprigs Rosemary
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 4no Black peppercorns
  • 200ml Chicken stock
  • 200g Duck fat
  • For the burnt onion powder:
  • 1 Onion, peeled
  • For the spinach puree
  • 300g Baby spinach
  • 15g Nasturtium leaf
  • 70g unsalted butter, diced
  • 200ml Water
  • 2g Salt
  • For serving:
  • 12 Heirloom variety baby courgettes, halved or sliced
  • 50g extra virgin Rapeseed oil
  • 200g Goats curd
  • 12no Nasturtium leaves and flowers

Method

To cook the lamb breast (one day before):
In a food processor add the sea salt and all the herbs and spices and blitz to an aromatic powder. Lay your lamb breasts flat on a tray and rub the salt all over,
cling film and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Remove from the fridge, wash thoroughly under cold running water and pat dry and place in a deep roasting tray.
In a saucepan bring the chicken stock and duck fat to the boil and pour over the lamb breast. Cover tightly with tin foil and cook at 110C for 4-6 hours until very soft.
Take out the oven and allow to cool before removing the lamb breast on to a rack to drain. If you would like a neater presentation, wrap in cling film and press the breasts between weighted trays overnight. Cut into portions.
For the burnt onion powder (one day before):
Break the onion down into shells and spread out on a tray. Place in a low oven until dry and shrivelled.
Once dry remove from oven, increase temperature
to 160C and cook onion shells until black or alternatively blacken on a hot grill pan. Allow to cool then place in a blender and blitz to a fine powder.
To make the spinach puree:
Heat a large pan until hot, add the spinach & butter and cook quickly, add the water and salt cover with a lid and continue to cook until wilted, no more than
2 minutes.
Drain, place in a blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and season as required.
To serve:
In a medium hot frying pan add the lamb breast fat side down and cook over a medium heat until fat has rendered and the lamb breast is golden and crispy all
over.
Meanwhile in another frying pan, fry the courgette halves flesh side down until golden and just cooked, season and drain the lamb and courgette on absorbent cloth.
Place 4 dots of goats curd on each plate and sieve over burnt onion powder. Add two pieces of lamb breast and top with courgettes. Add 3 spoonfuls of
spinach puree to each plate and scatter over the Nasturtium leaves & flowers.

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