Russell Armstrong
Roasted grain-fed mandalong lamb carved over garlic and cream braised potatoes with ratouille jus
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 rack and 2 rumps of Mandalong lamb
200g spinach, picked and washed
1/2 capsicum, red, green and yellow cut into 5mm dice
1/4 fennel bulb, cut into 5 mm dice
1 zucchini, cut into 5 mm dice
1 red onion, peeled and diced
8 roma tomatoes, peeled, deseeded
1 small eggplant, diced, salted then washed
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm thick slices
80g mirepoix*
180g gruyere cheese, grated
300ml milk
150ml cream
50ml balsamic vinegar
50ml white wine
300ml veal stock
500ml basic brown sauce
150ml olive oil
2 heads garlic
nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/4 bunch continental parsley
1 large sprig of rosemary
sweet marjoram
Method
To make the dauphinoise, cut potato slices into even circles using a pastry cutter approximately 3-4 cm. (You can reserve the trimmings for fries or mash.)
In a heavy based pot bring the milk, cream and 8 cloves of garlic to the boil.
Season the liquid with freshly grated nutmeg, mill pepper and salt.
Add the potatoes and braise very slowly until the potatoes are just cooked.
Carefully lift the potato discs out and place into an appropriate baking tray.
Pass the liquid through a fine sieve over the potatoes but only to 3/4 of the depth of the potatoes.
Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in a moderate oven, sitting in a waterbath for approximately 20 minutes ‚ until the cheese is golden on top.
To make the ratatouille ‚ in a very hot pan, quickly fry the red onion, capsicum, fennel, zucchini, 8 crushed garlic cloves, and eggplant in 50 ml of the olive oil until they get a little colour. Add 2 diced tomatoes.
Do not discard the vegetable trimmings.
For the ratatouille jus, saute all vegetable trimmings and a head of garlic cut in half, until dark brown.
Deglaze with balsamic vinegar and white wine and reduce by half.
Add the veal stock, 6 tomatoes and trimmings from the lamb that have been roasted, and reduce by half again.
Add the basic brown sauce, bring to the boil and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Add the rosemary, marjoram and parsley and adjust the seasoning ‚ pass through a fine sieve and keep warm.
Season the rack and rumps of lamb and seal in a very hot pan in the remaining olive oil.
Place in a hot oven for approximately 10 minutes to roast to medium rare.
Rest in a warm place for a further 10 minutes.
In the middle of the plate arrange 3 pieces of potato.
Quickly saute the spinach in olive oil, season and place on top of the potatoes.
Carve a cutlet off the rack and slice the rump, draping over the spinach.
Spoon the ratatouille over and around the lamb, drizzle with the jus and garnish with parsley.
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