ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH SKORDALIA
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
1 small bunch of thyme skordalia
5 whole garlic cloves, roasted with the lamb
2 pink eye potatoes
2 tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper
juice of 1 lemon
60ml extra virgin olive oil
Serves 4
Remove lamb from the fridge 2 hours before cooking and season with salt. Allow the meat to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Rub the lamb leg with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper, spread the thyme over the lamb then place in a large roasting tin. Add the 5 cloves of garlic for the skordalia to the lamb to be roasted.
Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the lamb over and turn the oven down to 160°C. Turn the lamb every 20 minutes. After 1 hour, check the meat's core temperature. The final resting temperature should be 60°C, so aim for 55-56°C to factor in the residual heat. Once that temperature has been reached, remove roasting tin from the oven and get the oven temperature down to 60°C for resting, holding the door ajar if necessary. Once 60°C has been reached, remove the thyme and garlic and return the lamb to the oven for 30 minutes.
To make the skordalia, cook potatoes in simmering salted water until tender, peel and pass through a ricer or a sieve into a bowl. Squeeze out the flesh of the roasted garlic, discarding the skin, and add to the potatoes, mixing thoroughly. Add the almonds, salt, pepper and lemon juice and mix. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Check the seasoning.
Remove lamb from the oven and place on a chopping board. Holding the shank with a tea towel, take a sharp knife and cut down the bone, removing a large cut of meat. Turn the lamb and cut down each side of the bone, removing the remainder of the meat. You should have two large pieces of meat on the board. Slice each piece across the grain, creating semi-circular slices. This gives the most tender result.
Divide the lamb between plates, add a dollop of skordalia, season and drizzle with cooking juices.
CARROT, ALMOND AND MACADAMIA CAKE
185g ground almonds
230g caster sugar
125g savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits, roughly chopped
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
5 eggs, separated
1 large carrot, finely grated
1 tbsp Grand Marnier
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
200g macadamia nuts, lightly roasted and gently crushed
thickened cream, to serve
Serves 8
Lightly grease a 24cm-round springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place the almonds and sugar in a food processor and process to form coarse crumbs. Transfer the crumb mixture to a large mixing bowl. Process the savoiardi biscuits and baking powder together until the biscuits are finely crushed, then combine them with the crumb mixture.
Lightly beat the egg yolks, and add to the crumb mixture with the carrot, Grand Marnier, orange zest and macadamia nuts. Mix until all the ingredients are moistened and well-combined.
Beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake mixture in three batches. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, spread cake batter and bake for about 40 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. Whip the cream and ice the top of the cake. Cut into wedges and serve.
HOT TIPS
* To ensure a perfect roast every time, invest in a thermometer - it will be worth its weight in gold. Remember, the higher the heat in the oven the longer the meat will keep cooking.
* Skordalia, a Greek-style potato-and-garlic puree, is awesome with roasted or pan-fried chicken, as well as fish. Once you've made it, it will become a regular on your menus.
* The cake is perfect by itself, but if you want to go right over the top, serve it with some really rich vanilla ice-cream.
SOMETHING TO DRINK
Sangiovese
Hailing from the Canberra wine region, Ravensworth's 2013 La Querce Sangiovese ($25), is a fresh, medium-bodied red. It's brimming with notes of ripe cherries, red apples and subtle spices to complement the richly flavoured lamb, and has an acidity that will cleanse the palate.
Photography by William Meppem. Styling by Hannah Meppem. Food preparation by Nick Banbury.
