From his home town of Howth, near Dublin, much-loved Irish chef Donal Skehan has perfected the art of simple Saturday suppers and slow Sunday lunches with his hand-me-down family recipes
GRANNIE’S LAMB SHOULDER
One of my earliest memories of my grannie’s cooking was snaffling some of her famous roast lamb out of a tinfoil package in the back seat of my mum’s car. I’d been hanging around the kitchen on one of our regular Sunday visits and soaking up the tantalising smells of lamb shoulder slow-cooking in the oven. As we were leaving, Grannie pressed the warm tinfoil package into my hand. Even now, when I carve a roast leg of lamb and dip the crusty best bits in flaky salt, it’s a taste that instantly reminds me of her. Salty, rosemary-laden slices of lamb and the smell of home.
Serves 6
2KG WHOLE SHOULDER OF LAMB
2 SPRIGS OF ROSEMARY, NEEDLES STRIPPED
2 GARLIC CLOVES, THINLY SLICED
SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
FOR THE BOULANGÈRE POTATOES
50G SALTED BUTTER
2 LARGE ONIONS,
THINLY SLICED
1.5KG DESIRÉE POTATOES
(OR OTHER LARGE SLIGHTLY WAXY POTATOES), PEELED
AND THINLY SLICED
10 SAGE LEAVES, THINLY SLICED
400ML CHICKEN STOCK
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan oven) gas mark 3. Take the shoulder of lamb and use a sharp knife to make small incisions all over the meat. Push little bits of rosemary and slices of garlic into the cuts, then season well all over.
2 Rub a large ovenproof dish with half the butter. Layer up the sliced onions, potatoes and sage leaves, seasoning well in between each layer, then pour over the chicken stock and dot with the remaining butter. Put the potatoes into the oven, with the lamb sitting on awire rack directly above the potatoes so the meaty juices drip down into the potatoes below.
3 Slow-roast for 3-3½ hours until the meat is really tender, then increase the temperature to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7 for a further 20 minutes so the meat is lovely and brown and the potatoes golden. Let them both rest for 10 minutes before serving.
FAMILY FOCACCIA-STYLE PIZZA
From pizza to sourdough bread and beyond, the key to making bread is the time it’s left to rise. My best version of homemade pizza begins on a Thursday, with a couple of turns to the dough in the fridge over the following days before it goes into the oven. However, as I’m rarely that organised, this focaccia-style pizza is an easier option – it’s a loose, no-knead dough that only requires a bit of time and minimal effort to give wonderful results. You can serve it pizza-style, like I’ve suggested here, or make a basil and garlic oil to rub over the surface before poking deep dimples into the dough before baking.
Serves
