Recipe: Lamb with Jersey Royals, smoked aubergine and wild garlic

In between your ‘At Home’ order, take some inspiration from our recipe of the month.

Perfect for a special meal that delivers on flavour and texture without demanding complex prep, this seasonal dish is a favourite of our head chef, Adam Hague.

Lamb with Jersey Royals, smoked aubergine and wild garlic

Serves 4 people

Traditionally a spring meat, lamb is in peak season in March, making it a popular choice for an Easter roast. The saddle in particular is a cut with distinctive flavour — sweet and fragrant without being overpowering.

A thin layer of fat also keeps the meat lovely and moist as it cooks, soaking up the butter as it melts away. Our rich garlicky sauce, crispy roast potatoes and light summer salad add the cherry on top.

Ingredients

300g lamb saddle (trimmed)
200g Jersey Royal potatoes (cleaned)
4 aubergines
2 spring onions
2 breakfast radish
150ml vegetable oil (good quality)
300g wild garlic (cleaned)
150ml lamb sauce
50g pine kernels
50g Parmesan (extra for shaving)

Method

Note: the wild garlic oil* for the pesto should be made 12 hours in advance of using. Alternatively, you can use plain oil for this step.

Wild garlic pesto

To make the wild garlic oil*, put 150g wild garlic and 100ml of oil into a blender. Hang in a muslin cloth for 12 hours. 

Once the oil is ready, blend the Parmesan, pine kernels, and 100g wild garlic into a rough paste. Transfer into a bowl and slowly add the garlic oil to loosen the pesto. Combine until you have a slightly loose consistency.

Smoked aubergine purée

On a high gas burner, burn the aubergines all over and place into a tray. Then cover with tin foil and roast at 150 degrees until completely soft.

Rest until cool enough to handle and remove all the burnt skin before discarding.

Chop the flesh and put into a saucepan. Slowly dry the mixture over a low heat then blend until smooth. Next, add 25g of butter and blend further until emulsified. Season with salt.

Wild garlic sauce

Heat the lamb sauce in a pan until you have a light consistency. Then remove from the heat.

Add the remaining chopped wild garlic and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.

Jersey Royal potatoes

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes. Cook until nice and tender then remove from the water and allow to dry. 

Crush the potatoes ever so slightly and lay on a baking tray. Then drizzle with oil and season with salt. Roast until crispy.

When serving, drizzle with pesto and shave some fresh Parmesan over the top.

Lamb saddle

Get a pan nice and hot and season the lamb nicely all over. 

Place the lamb fat side down in the pan and turn down to a medium heat. Let the fat slowly render. 

Once nice and golden, seal the lamb all around, put it back on the fat side and place into the oven. Cook for about 8 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and straight away put a knob of butter into the pan. You may also want to add thyme and a slightly crushed garlic clove at this stage. Baste for 2 minutes.

Then remove from pan and pour the butter mix over the top. Rest for 5 minutes.

Radish, spring onion and wild garlic salad

Thinly slice the radish and spring onion and place in iced water for 5 minutes before serving. 

Heat a saucepan to a medium heat and add a knob of butter. Then remove from the heat and add the wild garlic. Roll around in the butter to wilt slightly. 

To serve

Finally, slice the lamb and drizzle the plate with the wild garlic pesto, adding a dash of lamb sauce. Scatter the radish, garlic, and spring onion over the top.

Tuck in and enjoy!