Potato Cakes Stuffed With Lamb And Pine Nuts Food

SEARED LAMB CHOPS WITH ROASTED RADISHES AND HARICOTS VERTS, BLACK OLIVES, PINE NUTS, FENNEL AND SCALLOPED POTATO CAKE WITH GOAT CHEESE AND DILL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add the goat cheese and dill into a small bowl and mix to combine. Place roughly a teaspoon of olive oil into the bottom of each muffin tin. Add 2 slices of the potato into the bottom of the muffin tin and season with kosher salt. Add a few crumbles of the dill goat cheese, another layer of potato and drizzle of olive oil. Repeat this process with potato, kosher salt, dill goat cheese and olive oil until the muffin tins are filled to the top. Place into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.
• Add the golden raisins, white wine vinegar and sugar to a small bowl. Stir to combine, then let steep for 20 minutes to plump the raisins. Drain and set aside.
• Set up a pot of boiling water and season generously with kosher salt; it should be as salty as the sea. Prepare an ice bath and season generously with kosher salt. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green and tender, but still slightly crisp. Remove the haricots verts and immediately plunge into the ice bath and set aside.
• Add the radishes to a large bowl with a large drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt to taste. Spread the radishes onto a sheet tray, arranging them flat side down. Transfer into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
• Mix the cumin and fennel pollen in a small bowl. Sprinkle the lamb chops liberally with the seasoning mix (reserving a small amount) and kosher salt on both sides. Heat a large sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb chops, in batches, until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the lamb chops onto a sheet tray and place into the oven to finish cooking for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium-rare.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the smashed garlic to a large high-sided pan. Turn on the heat to medium and swirl the pan to infuse the oil with the garlic. Add the fennel, anchovies, shallot, lemon segments, kalamata olives and kosher salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the fennel begins to soften. Then add the white wine and cook until reduced by half. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken stock and a pinch of the reserved seasoning mix. Stir to combine, then add the plumped raisins and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Swirl to melt, then add the remaining tablespoon butter. Stir in half of the pine nuts.
• Heat a large sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the blanched haricots verts, roasted radishes and kosher salt to taste. Toss to warm through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Set up a fryer with vegetable oil and heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the capers until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful because they will pop in the oil. Remove the capers onto a paper-towel-lined sheet tray.
• To serve, plate the scalloped potato cakes, followed by the haricots verts and radishes. Lay the lamb chops over the top, and then the sauce. Garnish with the fried capers, micro fines herbs, micro thyme, a dusting of fennel pollen and fennel fronds and the remaining pine nuts.

POTATO CAKES STUFFED WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Start by making the dough.
• Boil the potatoes whole until cooked but not mushy.
• Drain well for 10 minutes and then, while they are still warm, peel and mash.
• Stir in the flour and season with salt.
• Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the filling by melting the butter and olive oil together in a pan over a medium-high heat.
• Add the onion and cook until it is nice and soft, then add all the spices and cook for a further minute.
• Add the lamb and cook for 5-8 minutes until nicely browned.
• Stir in the pine nuts, tomato puree, water and the parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• To prepare the potato cakes, first wash and dry your hands, then flour them.
• Divide the dough into 4 balls.
• On a well floured surface, flatten one ball to a disc about 1 cm thick.
• Put 2 tbsp of filling in the centre and bring up the sides of the dough to enclose the meat.
• Place on a floured surface, neaten the shape of the cake and patch up any cracks.
• You should get a patty about 10 cm across and 3-4 cm thick.
• Repeat with the other dough balls.
• At this point, you can keep the cakes in the fridge for 1-2 days-- just make sure there's enough flour to keep them from sticking-- but the fresher the better.
• Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with oil 3-4 mm deep and place over a medium to high heat until nearly smoking.
• Gently lift up the cakes and lower into the oil one by one.
• Do not turn until they are dark, golden and crispy.
• Fry the other side, dab off any extra oil and keep warm in a low oven.
• Mix together the yogurt with the garlic and salt.
• Serve with a salad and the yogurt as a garnish.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
• Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
• In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
• Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.