Exclusive Recipe from Thyme

March 22, 2021

“We have a herd of Welsh black mountain sheep at Thyme, who tend the fields and pin back hedgerows and fruit trees in the orchard if they get half a chance,” says Head Chef Charlie Hibbert. “They are used in the restaurant, too, and form a key part of our menus throughout the year. Once butchered, we use the meat in a wide variety of recipes. Whole braised shoulders are a magnificent centerpiece to a meal and complement a wide array of goodies from our kitchen garden and suppliers.”

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Baked Lamb, Salsify, and Green Sauce

Serves: 6 to 8

Adapted from a recipe provided by Charlie Hibbert, Head Chef at Thyme

Ingredients

Lamb:
1 (approximately 4.4-pound) whole lamb shoulder
2 onions
1 fennel bulb
6 celery sticks
2 carrots
1 head of garlic
1 bottle dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
Pinch crushed red pepper
Bread crumbs:
Olive oil to cover
2 cups bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
Pinch crushed red pepper
Salsa verde:
1 large bunch of parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers
10 best anchovies, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
Olive oil to cover
Salsify:
8 salsify sticks
1 lemon, juiced
Sea salt flakes
½ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper
To serve
Bunch watercress, washed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°.
For lamb: Place whole lamb shoulder in a deep roasting tray. Chop onions, fennel, celery, carrots, and garlic into large chunks, and scatter around lamb. Pour wine and stock over, and scatter in fennel seeds and red pepper. Cover the lot with a square of parchment paper, and wrap pan with foil.
Bake for 1 hour; reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake 4 hours more. Remove lamb from oven and gently pull bones out of lamb. If they don’t pull out easily, return to oven and cook until ready, up to 1 hour more.
Discard roasted vegetables, and strain remaining juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a pan. Heat over medium heat until liquid is reduced by two-thirds, and pour over lamb.
For bread crumbs: In a large frying pan over medium heat, pour olive oil. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring well. Add parsley and red pepper, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring well. Transfer mixture to a paper towel set over a bowl to soak up any excess oil. Set aside to let dry.
For salsa verde: In a medium bowl, combine parsley, capers, anchovies, and garlic; cover with olive oil. Set aside until ready to serve.
Increase oven temperature 400°.
For salsify: Peel salsify and place sticks in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice to stop them discoloring.
Transfer salsify to a pot and cover with fresh cold water and a good handful of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer until salsify is tender, about 20 minutes.
Transfer salsify to a work surface, and slice sticks lengthways. If sticks are very long, cut in half, if desired, so they fit on the plate.
Melt butter in a roasting pan; place salsify into butter, cut side down. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard over lamb, and coat in the bread crumbs. Season with black pepper.
Remove salsify from oven, and return lamb to heat through, 5 to 10 minutes.
To serve: On a large serving platter, place a bed of watercress. Nestle lamb into watercress. Pour remaining juices over lamb. Season and dress salsify in salsa verde, and arrange spears next to the lamb.