Herb crusted fillet of lamb
A beautifully composed and comforting dish showcasing tender fillet of lamb, finished with a fragrant herb crust and paired with seasonal courgette and creamy dauphinoise potatoes. The smooth cauliflower cheese purée adds richness, while a vibrant red wine and redcurrant jus brings depth, acidity and a touch of sweetness to perfectly balance the dish.
Ingredients
Herb-crusted lamb:
-
Lamb fillet (we use around 100/150g per person)
-
Parsley – 1 bunch chopped roughly
-
Coriander 3-4 sprigs, leaves only chopped roughly
-
Thyme leaves 3-4 sprigs, leaves only
-
Breadcrumbs (depending on how thick you would like the crust – we use 30-40g per person)
-
Olive oil – we use 20-30ml per person or more if the breadcrumbs soak it all up. You want the mix to be wet so 1. its sticks better and 2. it doesn’t dry out too much during cooking
Courgette:
-
Courgette – you don’t need a lot for the display in the picture. We can get 6/7 portions from each courgette.
-
Salt – 3% of the water (so if you have a 1000g of water then you need 30g of salt
-
Rosemary – 2 sprigs
-
Thyme – 2 sprigs
-
Peppercorns – small handful
-
Garlic cloves – 5 slightly crushed
Dauphinoise
- 1 kg floury potatoes such as King Edward thinly sliced (about 3mm/⅛in thick)
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 500ml double cream (you may need a bit extra)
- 3 sprigs of Thyme (remove the leaves)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 100g Parmesan (optional)
Red Wine Jus:
(this is how we do it but can be done over 1 day but won’t have the depth of flavor but will still be tasty)
- 1kg veal or beef bones
- 200g carrots
- 100g leeks
- 3 sticks of celery
- 1 large onion
- 50g tomato paste
- 500ml good red wine
Method
Herb Crusted Fillet of Lamb
- Seal off the lamb in a hot pan. Make sure all sides are sealed & cool down
- In a blender place parsley, coriander and thyme leaves and blend till fine
- Add in some breadcrumbs and enough oil to bind
- Coat the lamb with Dijon mustard and coat in the crumb mix. (I like a thick coat)!
- Cook the lamb in the oven till it reaches 50c pink. It can be cooked more or less depending on your preferences. When it reaches 50 you must rest the lamb for at least the same time you cooked it
- We rest under hot lamps but covering with thin foil in a warm place will suffice
Courgette
- Place a pan on the stove and ½ fill with water. Add in salt (3% of the water volume)
- Add in rosemary, thyme, peppercorns and garlic cloves (cut in half)
- Bring to the boil and cool down
- Thinly slice the green and yellow courgettes long ways
- Place the strips into the cooled liquid for 10 minutes only
- Remove and place on j cloths
- Remove the centre of the strips and alternate green, yellow
- It should be pliable to allow you to place on the plate in an arc shape
Dauphinoise
- Preheat the oven to 160c/140c fan
- Place the cream and grated garlic in a pan with some thyme leaves and warm – do not boil
- Place the potato slices. Pour over the warm cream mixture and toss lightly to ensure all potatoes are coated. Pour into a large gratin dish – we layer neatly.
- Press the potato down with the back of a spoon or your hands so it forms a solid layer. The cream should come to just below the top layer of potato, top up with more double cream if necessary
- Bake for around an hour, or until the potatoes are completely tender. Check with a knife and see if it goes through easily
- Place into a fridge overnight for the best result. Place another dish on top and press down. Leave the weight on top overnight
- Cut into portions the next day and reheat in the oven
Red wine jus with red currant jelly
- Roast off bones in oven till brown
- Wash and rough-cut Veg
- Brown off veg in large stock pan
- Add tomato paste, cook paste for a minute
- Add bones and cover with water
- Bring to boil on high heat, then drop heat, low simmer over next 2 days
- On 3rd day, drain all liquid into a pan, add red wine
- Reduce over the next couple of hours skimming the fat every 20 minutes
- Add salt to taste, thicken with beef gravy if needed, should coat back of spoon
- Pass through fine sieve, place in a container till needed. Can be frozen.
- Add some red currant jelly to the jus when you heat it up.
Cauliflower cheese puree
- Take 1 head of cauliflower and dice into small florets
- Place the cauliflower in a saucepan and cover with veg stock
- Cook till softened
- Blend in the Thermomix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 100g grated strong cheese (we use Lyburn Cheeses Old Winchester) and 20g parmesan cheese
- Season to taste
