Roast rump and confit flank of lamb with oregano jus

Post date: Apr 23, 2013 8:05:52 PM

Method

1. Prepare the lamb flank: rub the meat with smoked Maldon sea salt then roll the meat into a long cylinder and secure with string. Roll tightly in cling film to set in the fridge for an hour. Remove the cling film and transfer the tied flank to a vacuum bag, add some of the oregano stalks and a few spoons of duck fat. Seal on a vacuum machine at the lowest setting, cook in the water bath at 80 deg C for 13 hours. Alternatively, this can be confited through the oven overnight, covered in duck fat. Once cooked, carefully remove from the vacuum pouch, drain off the fat and remove the string with scissors. Roll the lamb flank tightly in cling film while still warm and chill until totally cold and hard. Once cold, trim away the cling film with scissors and cut into six cylindrical pieces, each about 4 to 5 cms in length, chill until needed

2. Cook the soaked flageolets beans in chicken stock with the mirepoix until tender then leave to cool, discarding the vegetables but keeping the cooking liquor. To reheat, warm the beans thoroughly with enough stock to moisten and add a few knobs of unsalted butter and a dessert spoon of olive oil, to emulsify to a creamy coating texture, finish with chopped parsley, tarragon and chives.

3. Dice the peeled red pepper into even sized dice of half a cm and fry until soft in olive without colouring, halfway through add the sliced spring onions, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, when cooked and soft, transfer to a tray to cool and refrigerate until needed.

4. To cook the lamb rump: these can be cooked at 55 deg C in a water bath then sealed in hot oil and foaming butter; alternatively, seal in a cast oven frying pan in hot oil then add butter before transferring to the oven at 190c to cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper then rest before carving.

5. To plate and serve: place the small cylinders of lamb confit flank on a suitable tray, drizzle with olive oil and place in a hot oven to warm, turning half way through. When you turn these over, add a mound of the pepper and spring onion mix to the top of each, creating a dome effect, and return to the oven until hot. Now season the kidneys with sea salt, heat a suitable sized frying pan and in very hot oil, brown the kidneys all over very quickly before adding a knob of butter. Allow to foam up and spoon the butter all over the kidneys then remove from the pan to rest. Season with fresh ground pepper. Spoon some of the flageolets beans in the front right corner of the plate, carve the lamb rump into four or five pieces and arrange neatly atop the beans. Carve the kidney into two then cut each half into three smaller nuggets, scatter these over the dish along with some of the oregano leaves. Place a swipe of parsley puree across the top of the plate, sprinkle the fried breadcrumbs on the lamb flank on top of the red pepper and spring onion mixture then arrange the lamb flank on the parsley puree. Sauté the wild mushrooms in butter, season with salt and drain in absorbent paper and scatter around the plate, finish with some lamb jus and serve at once.