Irish lamb is of a high quality and still relatively free range, as opposed to New Zealand lamb (also popular with the Irish consumer), which is intensively farmed. It is the only type of lamb that we buy for use at Thornton’s.
We are lucky to be able to source some of our lamb from the islands off the Kerry coast and it has a fantastic flavour, having been reared on grass which is salted by the sea. I also love to use Irish mountain lamb, available in September. It has a stronger, richer flavour and requires a longer hanging time to tenderise the meat.
Lamb is the meat of a domestic sheep which is less than one year old. Older meat is either mutton or hogget, which is better for casserole-style cooking as the meat is tougher.
As a general guide, Easter usually marks the beginning of the lamb season and the time when it makes its first appearance of the year on the menu at Thornton’s.
Of course this can vary, as Easter is a moveable feast. I like to use wild garlic with the first of the lamb (milk-fed), as they come in to season together and make for a wonder ful combination of flavours. We use hogget and mutton for stews or casseroles as the year continues.
Wild garlic is available in abundance now. I picked my first batch on Monday. For me it marks the real beginning of spring.
Ingredients – loin of spring lamb with potatoes maxim, baby spinach and wild garlic
loin of spring lamb
400g loin of lamb
4 small cleaned lamb chops
Sea salt
Fresh milled white pepper
Ingredients: potato
4 potatoes
100g braised white onions 50g clarified butter
Sea salt
Fresh milled white pepper
Ingredients – baby spinach
250g spinach leaf
2 diced shallots
1 bunch of chives
Sea salt
Fresh milled white pepper
5ml olive oil
5ml still water
Ingredients – wild garlic
44 garlic buds
Rock salt
15ml olive oil
Ingredients – sauce
1 shallot diced
20ml white wine
20ml white port
Half a litre lamb stock
Small bunch thyme
Sea salt
Fresh milled white pepper
Method: loin of spring lamb
1. Trim all the fat from the lamb.
2. Marinate the lamb. To make the marinade, take a glug of olive oil, a bulb of wet garlic, a small bunch of thyme, a few whole white peppercorns and a bay leaf. Cover the marinated lamb and rest it in the fridge (overnight if possible).
3. Remove from the marinade, season and saute´.
4. Brown the lamb on all sides and cook on a trivet in the oven for five minutes at 170 C. Remove and rest.
Method: potatoes maxim: (8cm Teflon Mould)
1. Wash and peel the potato.
2.Using a cutter, cut the potato into a 3cm ring and slice the potato on the mandolin. Season the potato and add butter. Season the mould and line the potato around the mould. In the middle, add a little braised onion on top of the potato. Cover with another layer of potatoes.
3. Cook slowly, turning when golden brown and finish in the oven.
Method: baby spinach
1. Wash the spinach and dice the shallots.
2. Heat the pan and add the shallots.
3. Saute´ off the spinach.
4. Cook and add a drop of still water. Season and cook for a further few minutes.
5. Place in a 6cm ring mould.
Method: wild garlic
1. Wash the buds.
2. Heat a pan and saute´ for three seconds with the rock salt and remove.
Method: Sauce
1. Roughly chop the garlic and shallots. Saut e´ without colouring.
2. Add the washed thyme and cook for two to three minutes without colouring.
3. Deglaze with the white wine and port and reduce by three quarters. Add the lamb stock and reduce by half.
4. Correct the seasoning.
5. Pass through a muslin cloth and fold in the butter. Taste and season.
To plate
Place the spinach in a 6cm ring in the centre of the plate and cover with the potato.
Arrange the garlic buds around the plate. Arrange the lamb on the plate. Sauce and serve.
Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. www.thorntonsrestaurant.com