Lamb Recipe with Onion Purée - Great British Chefs

This fabulous recipe from Alyn Williams shows off lamb in three cuts - loin, shoulder and belly. The meat is paired with a silky-smooth onion purée, roasted onion, kale compote and an inventive seaweed butter crust. Make sure you leave enough time to prepare both the belly and shoulder elements in advance. For tips from Alyn Williams on pan-roasting lamb to perfection, watch our video guide.

Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Lamb fillets

4 lamb fillets, preferably the under fillet
1 knob of butter
olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme
salt
pepper

Shoulder of Lamb

1/2 shoulder of lamb, spring lamb, approximately 1kg in weight
lamb fat, rendered
salt
pepper

Lamb belly

1 lamb belly
200g of lamb fat, rendered, or duck fat
200g of sea salt
20g of seaweed, dried

Seaweed butter crust

100g of fresh gutweed seaweed, or if you can't get it, 30g dried nori sheets
250g of unsalted butter
70g of breadcrumbs, dried
10g of sea salt
juice of half a lemon

Kale compote

200g of curly kale
25g of unsalted butter
50ml of light olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 lemon, rind only
75ml of sherry vinegar
150ml of vegetable stock, white
5g of coriander seeds
5g of fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick
5g of caraway seeds
5g of flaky sea salt

Lamb sauce

500g of lamb bones
1 carrot
1/2 leek
2 celery sticks
1 tomato, ripe and fresh
1 tbsp of tomato purée
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 pinch of saffron
1000ml of lamb stock
150ml of white wine
1 dash of lamb fat
1 dash of cider vinegar

Roscoff onions

2 Roscoff onions
50g of unsalted butter
1 dash of olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
250ml of onion stock

Onion purée

3 white onions, sweet Italian
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of water
salt

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Food processor or blender
Fine strainer
Pressure cooker
Coffee grinder

To prepare the belly, mix together the salt and seaweed in a bowl, then cover the belly in the mixture. Leave to sit for 2 hours, then rinse for 10 minutes under cold running water

200g of sea salt
20g of seaweed, dried
1 lamb belly

Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas mark 1/2

Dry the belly with a towel and place in a deep roasting tray. Cover with the lamb or duck fat and cook in the oven for 4 hours, or until the meat is very tender

200g of lamb fat, rendered, or duck fat

Season the shoulder with salt and pepper and rub with a little more lamb or duck fat. Place in a deep tray, pour in 250ml of cold water and cover with tin foil. Place in the oven for 3 hours, along with the belly

lamb fat, rendered
salt
pepper
1/2 shoulder of lamb, spring lamb, approximately 1kg in weight

Once the belly is out of the oven, turn the temperature up to 200°C/gas mark 6. Remove the tin foil and return the shoulder to the oven for 10 minutes

Remove the shoulder and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the bone by simply twisting it out of the meat. Wrap and seal the meat very tightly in cling film, then cool down in a bowl of iced water. Once cold, remove from the water and slice into 1.5cm thick pieces. Reserve in the fridge on a flat tray

Once the belly is cooked, press between 2 trays, weighted with a saucepan. Place in the fridge until cold, then carefully remove the belly, trim the edges and cut into 1cm thick strips. Return to the fridge

For the seaweed butter crust, blitz all of the ingredients together in a food processor until thoroughly combined and emulsified. Spread between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper to a flat 1/2cm thickness, then chill in the freezer. Once firm, carefully cut into pieces that will fit on top of the lamb shoulder portions and keep in the fridge until required

100g of fresh gutweed seaweed, or if you can't get it, 30g dried nori sheets
250g of unsalted butter
70g of breadcrumbs, dried
10g of sea salt
juice of half a lemon

For the kale compote, pick the leaves and wash well. Blanch for 1 minute in lightly salted boiling water, then strain and cool under running cold water. Once cold, dry with kitchen towel

200g of curly kale

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook until tender but not coloured. Tie the bay leaf, thyme, garlic and lemon rind to a bag of muslin to make a bouquet garni

25g of unsalted butter
50ml of light olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 lemon, rind only
1 small onion, finely chopped

Turn up the heat and add the blanched kale leaves, a good pinch of salt and the bouquet garni. Cook until the leaves are tender, then add the vinegar and cook until the vinegar has evaporated. Add the stock and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid

75ml of sherry vinegar
150ml of vegetable stock, white

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until almost all of the liquid has gone - the kale should now be very tender. Remove the bouquet garni and drain the kale in a colander. Transfer the leaves to a food processor and blitz until finely puréed

Lightly toast the spices under the grill, then add to a coffee grinder with the salt and grind into a powder. Use these spices to season the kale compote to taste, then set aside

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

For the lamb sauce, roast the bones with the vegetables, tomatoes and tomato purée in the oven until the bones are a deep golden brown colour. Place the bones in a pressure cooker along with the herbs, spices, wine and stock and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes

500g of lamb bones
1 carrot
1/2 leek
2 celery sticks
1 tomato, ripe and fresh
1 tbsp of tomato purée
2 sprigs of rosemary
1000ml of lamb stock
1 pinch of saffron
150ml of white wine

Pass the liquid through a fine strainer then simmer in a pan until reduced by half. Once it has reached a gravy-like consistency, set aside until ready to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

To prepare the Roscoff onions, cut the onions in half, leaving on the skins. Heat the butter and oil in a flat pan, add the onions flat-side down and cook over a medium heat until golden brown

2 Roscoff onions
50g of unsalted butter
1 dash of olive oil

Add the herbs and turn up the heat a little. Cover the onions with a sheet of greaseproof paper and slowly and gradually add the stock. Place the pan into the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and take out the onions. Remove the skins and cut each half in half

1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
250ml of onion stock

For the onion purée, peel and finely slice the onions. Gently warm the olive oil and water in a saucepan before adding the onion, thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and cover with a lid

3 white onions, sweet Italian
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp of water
salt

Cook on a low temperature until the onion is very soft but not coloured. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and blitz until very smooth

Once ready to serve, season the lamb fillets and roast in a hot pan with a large knob of butter, the thyme and a dash of oil. Spread the hot fat over the fillet and cook for 2 minutes, or until medium rare. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes

1 knob of butter
olive oil
salt
pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
4 lamb fillets, preferably the under fillet

Cover each piece of shoulder with a slice of the seaweed butter crust, then place on a baking sheet with the belly strips. Place under a medium-hot grill until glazed and golden

Before serving, lightly warm the kale compote, kale, onion purée and onions

Arrange the kale elements onto plates along with the hot belly, shoulder and fillet. Warm the sauce and add a small dash of lamb fat and cider vinegar. Drizzle around each plate and serve immediately

1 dash of lamb fat
1 dash of cider vinegar

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Alyn Williams

It is always a pleasing moment when a talented apprentice steps out and succeeds on their own terms. After working as head chef at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley for five years, Alyn Williams has done exactly that; taking over the Westbury in the autumn of 2011 and quickly winning a Michelin star, which he maintained until he parted ways with the restaurant in 2019.

Fillet, shoulder and belly of lamb with kale compote, glazed Roscoff onion and lamb jus

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