COOKING THE LAMB SADDLE:
Cut the lamb saddle to the size you need. I always measure it by simply laying my hand on the saddle and it works out roughly that it’s a finger’s width of lamb saddle per portion. I cook the lamb while it’s still on the bone, as it gives you more control when cooking the saddle.
Remove the membrane from the outside of the lamb and score very lightly to help release the fat as it cooks. Blow torch the saddle to seal it and start to render the fat, then place on the top racks of the BBQ to start the cooking process. The fire you’ll need will be a big base but one that’s on the decline, so just embers and no fire. You want it hot but the best way to manage the cooking here is to push the embers into a pile and have them slope into a very small fire, so you have a hot and cold side. You’ll want to keep turning the lamb over every few minutes to allow both sides to cook evenly. Then once the saddle has some heat into it, bring it down onto the grill to colour and render down the fat. Once coloured take the lamb back up to the top rack to rest. I don’t use a probe, but I’d imagine you’re looking for
55°C-60°C, but if you skewer the lamb, it should come out feeling hot enough to be able to hold the metal skewer on your bottom lip but not for too long.
DASHI STOCK METHOD:
Combine all the ingredients together in a large plastic container and leave in the fridge for 12 hours. Strain through a sieve and discard the katsuobushi and the kombu. The water has been infused with the flavours of the seaweed and the katsuobushi and is now ready to use.
GARLIC KETCHUP:
Mix the sugar and vinegar together and allow to dissolve. Remove the skins from the garlic bulbs and heat in a saucepan with the dashi stock and agar agar. Bring to the boil and once boiled, put in the fridge to set. Once set, blend with vinegar and sugar mix and add the soy sauce to a ketchup consistency. This will be lovely and shiny. If this is a little thick you can add a little more vinegar and sugar in the same ratio. Sometimes the black garlic can be slightly dryer and can make it thicken up slightly more.
GRILLED MAITAKE MUSHROOMS:
Simply grill them over the fire nice and slowly, with a little sunflower oil and sea salt. Once they are soft, you can brush them with butter and a little soy sauce for extra flavour.
POTATO PRESSING:
Wash the potatoes and peel them but don’t put them back into the water. Leave them in a mixing bowl with a damp towel over them to stop them from oxidising and turning brown. If they were to go back into water it would wash away all the starch, which comes in handy later when sticking the pressing together as it cooks. Slice the potatoes on a mandolin, very thinly and evenly. Thinly chop the garlic to add into the potato layers. Start layering the potatoes in a bread tin/terrine mould, lined with greaseproof paper to make it easy to remove the pressing once it’s cooked and cooled. With every layer of potato you put in, brush it with the melted butter and a small sprinkling of salt and garlic. Continue this until the mould/bread tin is completely full. Cover the top with a piece of greaseproof paper and then a sheet of tin foil tightly wrapped around it to keep in the steam. This helps to cook the potatoes evenly. Place the pressing in an oven at 160°C for around 40-50 minutes or until it is soft when skewered through the middle. Once the potatoes are soft, remove the pressing from the oven. You’ll now need to weigh the pressing down to get it to ‘stick together’ and become nice and firm when cold. I use a small piece of wood that’s cut to the shape of the terrine mould. I wrap it in cling film and then add old-fashioned scale weights on top and leave it in the fridge. When you do this you’ll press out some of the butter so it pays to put the mould on a tray, to catch the excess butter. Leave for 12 hours minimum in the fridge to firm up. Remove from the mould and portion into strips, about as long as your thumb and as wide as a good chunky chip. Put them onto a heavy skillet pan and pop them into an oven at about 150°C to become golden and delicious.
LAMB DRESSING:
Place the lamb mince into a heavy bottom small saucepan and place onto a medium heat, with adding the lamb to a cold pan it will render down as it heats up and release all its lovely tasty fat and this will be what cooks the lamb mince into a lovely golden colour. Make sure to stir this often and give it plenty of time to become golden and full of flavour. This is key in the dressing, once the lamb has a deep colour on it (allow 20 minutes) add the soy sauce to the pan and remove from the heat. Allow this to sit for another 20 minutes or so to take on the lamb flavour and then strain off the lamb mince through a sieve and discard. The bit you want for this is that infused soy sauce that has now become a lamb sauce, add the mirin to this to make it a little sweeter and pop it in the fridge for a minute for the excess fat to set and can then be removed from the top of the sauce with a spoon and discarded. When ready to serve your lamb, heat the sauce until warm too but not hot, more a dressing than a hot sauce.