Scott Kapitan joined Muckross Hotel & Spa – a 5-star landmark hotel on the Ring of Kerry – as Executive Chef in 2020. Here he shares his recipe for the perfect spring lamb dish...

In advance of milder days and with the sight of blooming daffodils and crocuses in the garden fields, I am thinking of the upcoming spring season.  Kerry lamb with first season garden peas, baby turnips and mushrooms are a welcome dish after a long winter.  A combination such as this features annually on our spring Yew Tree menu at Muckross Park Hotel & Spa.

This is a great recipe to make at home, while the lamb is roasting in the oven, you can make the sauce and vegetables on the top of the hob.  Adding buttered boiled baby potatoes would not go amiss if you were so inclined to do so. 

In the Yew Tree restaurant, we will keep the vegetables separate and smash the peas for compositional purposes.

• Serves: 4
• Preparation Time: 35 minutes 
• Cooking Time: 1.5 hour
• Special Equipment – Probe thermometer

Ingredients

For the lamb:

• 1 boneless lamb loin – approximately 800 grams (ask your local butcher to trim the loin to leave a layer of fat or to roll and tie the belly meat around the loin)
• 25 ml rapeseed oil / neutral cooking oil
• 15 grams / 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic smashed
• 1 sprig rosemary
• Fine sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper

For the turnips and garden peas:

• 8 baby white turnips
• 200 grams green garden peas shelled (fresh or frozen)
• 2 litres salted water (for boiling vegetables)
• 15 grams / 1 Tablespoon butter

For the mushrooms:

• 100 grams wild mushrooms (or a selection of organic mushrooms such as Garryhinch Oyster Mushrooms)
• 25 grams butter
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 sprig of rosemary chopped
• Pinch of fine ground sea salt and ground black pepper

For the lamb sauce:

• Reserved lamb trim from your butcher*
• 15 ml rapeseed oil / neutral cooking oil
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 sprig of rosemary chopped
• 50 ml full bodied red wine such as a cabernet sauvignon or shiraz 
• 200 ml veal or beef stock (purchase from your butcher or quality grocery store) 
• 5 grams corn flour
• 15 ml red wine vinegar

Method

Prepare and Cook the Lamb

1. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C
2. Heat a thin layer of rapeseed oil in a heavy-duty bottom frying pan large enough to fit the lamb loin. Approximately 25-30cm / 12 inch in diameter.
3. Season the lamb loin generously with the fine sea salt and pepper.
4. Brown the loin on all sides until lightly coloured.
5. Transfer pan to oven and cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, turning the lamb over at about the 8-minute mark to ensure even cooking.  (At this point you can begin to prepare the vegetables and sauce.) Using a probe thermometer to test the internal doneness of the lamb.  Cook to your liking but I recommend removing the lamb once an internal temperature of 58⁰C has been reached.  Add a few degrees either way to suit your preference of cooking.  Transfer the lamb pan from the oven back to the stove top. On a medium heat add the rosemary, garlic and butter.  As the butter melts, use a tablespoon to baste the lamb continuously for about 2 minutes.  Remove the lamb from the pa,n transferring it onto a platter. Pour the melted pan butter, rosemary and garlic over the lamb and cover the lamb with foil to allow the meat to rest.  (Reserve the pan for the use of frying the mushrooms.)

Prepare the Turnips and Peas

1.  Bring 2 litres salted water to a rolling boil.
2. Wash and trim the turnips to remove any excessive or damaged leaves.  Cut turnips in half or quarters to reduce cooking time if you wish to do so.
3. To the water, add the washed baby turnips. Allow to cook until still slightly firm but offer little resistance when a small knife or cake skewer is inserted into the turnip. 
4. In the same boiling wate,r add the green peas and cook for 1 minute and then strain into a colander. 
5. While the excess water is steaming from the strained peas and turnips, begin to cook the mushrooms using the reserved lamb searing pan.
6. Heat the lamb pan over medium/high heat, adding the butter.  Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and sauté until they start to become tender and release their juices.  Add the shallots, rosemary and cook for an additional minute.  Add salt and pepper to your liking. Add the peas and baby turnips into the mushrooms.  

Prepare the Lamb Sauce

1. In a 1 litre saucepan over medium heat, add the lamb trim.  Cook the lamb trim until it is golden brown, and the fat has rendered down.  Discard any excess fat.
2. Once the meat is browned, add the garlic, rosemary and red wine.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the red wine has reduced in volume by half.
3. Add the veal stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the lamb trim by straining stock into another sauce pot.  Discard the trim and return the stock back to the burner.
5. In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and the corn flou,r whisking together to make a slurry.  Add to the stock.
6. Return the stock to a simmer and allow to cook gently for a few minutes to finish the sauce.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper or more chopped rosemary if you desire.

To Serve

1. If required, the lamb and vegetables can be quickly reheated in your oven for a few minutes before serving to ensure maximum enjoyment.  This is especially handy if you are entertaining.  
2.  When you are ready, carve the lamb by cutting the loin into 4 equal medallions and the rack into 4 double chops (2 bones per person), serving with hearty portions of vegetables.  
3. Pour sauce over the lamb and enjoy.

Try substituting the rosemary for any herb you have handy such as thyme, mint, oregano or even a spice like paprika.  Have fun with it and happy cooking!