Pressed lamb shoulder, fermented mint, spring greens

  • medium
  • 4
  • 60 minutes
Not yet rated

Michael Bremner serves his pressed lamb shoulder recipe with fermented mint and spring greens, a dish that breathes new life into classic flavour combinations. The lamb may seem like a lot of work, but this process of cooking results in tender meat with a sublimely crisp and golden exterior – well worth the effort.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pressed lamb shoulder

Fermented mint

  • 1 bunch of mint, the larger the leaves the better
  • salt

Spring greens

  • spring greens, 4–6 large leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

Equipment

  • Vacuum bags
  • Bar sealer
  • Blender

Method

1
To begin, ferment the mint. Pick the mint leaves, wash well and weigh the leaves. Add 2% of the weight of salt to leaves to a vacuum bag, along with the leaves. Vacuum seal and leave to ferment in a cool, dry place for 5–7 days
2
Preheat the oven to 110°C/gas mark 1/4
3
To cook the lamb, add the herbs, garlic, salt and oil to a blender and blitz to combine. Rub the mixture all over the lamb shoulder and place in a deep pan. Cover with tin foil and cook in the oven for 10 hours
4
Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Pick apart all the meat, trying to keep the muscles together as much as possible. Place in a large, flat, greaseproof paper-lined tray and press down until you have a 3–4cm layer of meat. Place another snugly-fitting tray on top, distribute weights over the surface down and place in the fridge for a few hours to cool (overnight preferably)
5
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3.5
6
To prepare the greens, cut each leaf into 10cm squares. Wash well then blanch in salted, boiling water. Pat dry and season with a little olive oil and salt
  • salt
  • spring greens, 4–6 leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil
7
To serve, cut the pressed lamb into even portions. Shallow-fry in light olive oil on a medium heat for a few minutes on each side until golden, then finish heating through in the oven for 5 minutes
8
Place a portion of lamb on each plate. Fill each of the mint leaves with a teaspoon of yoghurt, folding them over to enclose the yoghurt, and place around the lamb. Serve the spring greens on the side
First published in 2018

Few chefs cooking today are as exciting as Michael Bremner, who takes flavours from all over the world and distills them into beautiful small plates of deliciousness at his acclaimed restaurant in Brighton.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.