Loin of lamb with creamed celeriac, potato and spinach timbale, confit tomatoes and a light thyme reduction – by Ramon Farthing

INGREDIENTS

(serves four)

1 pair of British new season best ends of lamb, boned and trimmed to loin
Olive oil
½ bunch soft leaf thyme
2 bulbs fresh garlic, broken into cloves, blanched, peeled and halved
225g root vegetable mirepoix (carrot, leek, onion, celery, garlic)
600ml chicken stock
150ml good veal jus
6 small plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, quartered and deseeded
Salt and pepper
Unsalted butter
Brown sugar
1 medium celeriac, cut into julienne
2 medium potatoes, cut into julienne
1tbs lemon juice
300ml double cream
450g spinach leaves, picked and blanched

METHOD

Wrap loin in clingfilm brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with thyme and chopped garlic. Form into a secure roll by twisting the ends of the clingfilm. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Chop lamb bones and clean excess fat trimmings, seal in a little olive oil. Add mirepoix and colour to a golden brown. Add thyme stalks, chicken stock, veal jus. Bring to a gentle simmer, remove any initial fat and surface crust, but retain the cleaner surface fat. Allow the sauce below to gently simmer through, and reduce for two hours. Pass and allow to cool with fat crust intact.

Place tomato petals on to a foil-lined, oiled tray. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle tomatoes with remaining thyme leaves and garlic cloves. Place tray in moderate oven for four minutes, remove and cool.

Caramelise garlic cloves slowly in butter and a little brown sugar. Add a spoonful of reduced lamb stock and simmer till soft.

Blanch celeriac and potato in boiling water with salt and lemon, then refresh and drain. Reduce cream slowly with blanched potato in it, moving occasionally to avoid "catching" when the potato is tender. Add celeriac, cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat, season and cool.

Butter and clingfilm four small moulds and line completely with spinach leaves. Spoon in potato and celeriac cream, fold spinach leaves over the top. Cover with foil. Place in a bain-marie and bake in a moderate oven until heated through.

Seal loins in butter to colour and crust. Leave to rest. Season.

Reheat tomato in oven. Remove fat crust from sauce reduction and retain. Reheat the sauce.

Place timbale in centre of a large bowl, cut loins into even noisettes and arrange three round timbale. Place two caramelised garlic cloves on each noisette and lay two petals of confit tomato between noisettes.

Bring sauce to a simmer, drop in a few pieces of fat from the reduced stock and stir into the sauce. Season finished sauce and spoon over and around the bowl.

Ramon Farthing