A deconstructed version of the classic Welsh dish by Martin Benton, 03 August 2010
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 2 Welsh lamb racks, not French trimmed
For the stock:
- 2 medium leeks
- 30 g1 oz unsalted butter
- 1½ L water
- 1 small onion
- White peppercorns
- Salt
For the Boulangère potatoes:
- 600 g21¼ oz Desiree/King Edwards potatoes
- 100 ml3½ fl oz whole milk
- 30 g1 oz unsalted butter
- Freshly ground white pepper
- Salt
For the vegetables:
- 1 /2 swede
- 1 carrot
- 1 parsnip
- 30 g1 oz unsalted butter
For the sauce:
- 2 tsp chives
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 50 g1¾ oz unsalted butter
Method: How to make Welsh cawl with poached loin of lamb
To prepare the lamb:
Cut out the fillets from the racks of lamb and cut each into 2 across their width. Trim the loins, discarding most of the fat, but keep any 'meaty' bits, and chop the bones.
To make the stock:
Clean the leeks and remove any tough outer layers. Put the white parts of the leek to one side for the boulangere and roughly chop the green parts.
Peel the swede, carrot and parsnip and cut 8 neat sticks, about 5cm long, from each vegetable. Put these to one side but keep the trimmings (not the peel).
Peel and quarter the onion. Chop 1 tablespoon of parsley leaves but keep the stalks and put the rest to one side for the sauce.
Melt 30g of butter in a large saucepan. Sweat the green leeks, root vegetable trimmings and onion to soften.
Add the lamb bones and “meaty” trimmings, turn up the heat and brown lightly. Add 1.5 litres of water with the parsley stalks, ½ teaspoon white peppercorns and salt to taste. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Strain and return the stock to the pan.
To make the Boulangère potatoes:
Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
Peel the potatoes and cut into thin rounds. Roughly chop the reserved white parts of the leeks.
Toss the potatoes and white leeks with some salt and ground white pepper in a baking dish.
Pour over the milk and 100ml of the stock. Dot with 30g butter.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, until cooked through and the top of the potatoes are browned.
To cook the vegetables and sauce:
Chop 2 teaspoons of basil and 2 tablespoons of chives.
Melt 15g of butter in a frying pan. Toss in the vegetable sticks and coat in the butter. Add 250ml stock and some more seasoning to taste. Cover the pan and simmer the vegetables until they are just tender. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
Reduce the remaining stock by half.
Stir in 2 teaspoons parsley, the basil and the chives. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in 50g diced butter. Keep warm but do not boil.
To poach the lamb:
Bring the remaining stock to a simmer then add the lamb pieces. Simmer gently for 5 minutes then remove, cover and keep warm.
To serve:
Put a neat mound of the potato in the centre of individual serving plates. Slice each piece of lamb into 4 and arrange on the top. Put some vegetable sticks around the plate.
Spoon the buttery juices over and around. Finally, sprinkle the remaining parsley over the meat.
