Saddle Of Lamb & Apricot Stuffing

This recipe brings together a wonderful combination of lamb and apricot stuffing, served with roasted onions, spinich and a creamy mashed potato.

Saddle Of Lamb & Apricot Stuffing Recipe

Recipe Ingredients:

Lamb

• 1.3kg saddle of lamb, skinned and boned
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 20-22 slices of Parma ham, about 200g in total
• olive oil, for cooking

Stuffing

• 150g apricots, soaked overnight in warm water, drained
• 30g pine nuts, toasted
• 25g fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Spinach with garlic, chilli and pine nuts

• olive oil, for cooking
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
• ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 50g pine nuts
• 750g baby spinach, washed
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Balsamic roasted onions

• 6-8 medium red onions, finely sliced
• 20g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• few rosemary sprigs
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Potato mash

• 1kg floury potatoes such as King Edward or Romano, well scrubbed
• 100ml milk
• 4 tbsp butter, plus a few knobs
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe Method:

Toast the cumin seeds in a hot dry pan, tossing them occasionally, until fragrant. Trim off the excess fillets at both ends of the saddle of lamb, so that you can roll the lamb into a neat roll. Using a pestle and mortar coarsely grind the toasted cumin seeds with a pinch each of sea-salt and black pepper, then rub half of it over the lamb to season.

For the Apricot stuffing: finely chop the apricots and pine nuts, then add them to a mixing bowl. Stir in the breadcrumbs, olive oil and the rest of the cumin, salt and pepper mix from the pestle and mortar.

On a large sheet of cling film, arrange all but two of the Parma ham slices in a rectangle, overlapping them slightly – this rectangle needs to be large enough to wrap around the saddle of lamb. Lay the lamb, opened out completely, on top of the Parma ham. Season the lamb sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper and then carefully pile the stuffing in a neat row along the centre. Fold the sides of the lamb over the stuffing and tightly wrap the lamb parcel in the Parma ham and outer cling film to form a tight log – twist the ends of the cling film – and then chill in the fridge for an hour.

Pr-heat the oven to 180˚C.

Remove the cling film from the lamb. Use the remaining slices of Parma ham to cover the two ends and secure the stuffing. Tie the saddle roll with kitchen or butcher’s string to hold it together during roasting.

Heat a little olive oil in a wide oven-proof frying pan (no plastic handles etc) until hot. Sear the lamb for 4 minutes on each side until browned. Put the saddle, ‘seam’ side down in the centre of the pan and transfer to the oven. Roast for 40 minutes, turning and basting the lamb halfway through cooking. It should feel slightly springy when pressed and the meat should be pink in the centre. After roasting rest the meat on a plate for 15 minutes, then slice thickly and serve with the pan juices and the side accompaniments below.

For the spinach with garlic, chilli and pine nuts: heat a little olive oil in a wide pan and sauté the garlic for a minute until golden brown, then add the chilli and pine nuts. Toss over a medium heat until the nuts are nicely toasted and golden brown. Add the spinach leaves in large handfuls, stirring and wilting each handful before adding the next. Season well and serve at once.

For the balsamic roasted onions: heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy-based pan. Add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Add the rosemary and season the onions with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and allow to cook for a further 6-8 minutes until the onions are soft and caramelised. Serve the onions warm.

For the potato mash: put the potatoes (well scrubbed, but unpeeled) in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until they feel tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and peel while still hot (if you like, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the heat). Mash the potatoes with a traditional kitchen masher, or push the potatoes through a ricer or mouli, or for a smoother result, pass the mashed potatoes through a fine sieve with a spatula. Heat the milk in a pan. Toss the puréed potatoes in a dry pan to dry out a little, then beat in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Just as the milk comes to the boil, pour onto the potatoes and beat well. Whisk in a few extra knobs of butter for a rich, silky finish.