SLOW ROASTED LAMB WITH HERBS, RED WINE, GARLIC AND ARBORIO / SHALLOT AND TARRAGON TARTE TATIN
Whenever you’re slow cooking something, it seems such a dreadful shame not to make the most of all those glorious pan juices that accumulates at the bottom of the roasting dish. That’s where all the flavour is, after all.
The Spanish will often do this sort of thing with a chook - I almost added cumin and paprika to this by the way, so absolutely go for it if you’re in the mood. There’s also a Greek dish I’ve been doing for years that I learned from Adie McClelland (look her up - love her work) that is a similar idea but with orzo.
Either way, you’re never going to go wrong with the general idea; the longer and slower the better. I’ve never been one for slow cookers because an oven does exactly the same thing. You could even pop it in to cook before bed at something like 110°C or 120°C, and give it all night. The next morning will seem like Christmas.
Now I know I wrote about tarts last week. But this was much too good to ignore. Muuuuuch too good. I also know that tarragon isn’t the easiest herb to find at the supermarket, but nothing inspires supply like demand, and if your local doesn’t have it, then make a fuss. It works, believe me. It is also pretty damn easy to grow, on a sunny window ledge in the kitchen perhaps.
Just make sure that you’re buying French tarragon, not the Russian stuff. Garden centres seem to sell both, which is completely implausible to me because Russian tarragon is almost completely tasteless. You may as well use lawn clippings.
This most certainly did not taste like lawn clippings. It was a rich, savoury, buttery dream. Give the shallots plenty of time to melt down in the pan - you want them properly soft and caramelised.
Have a lovely, restful Sunday…happy cooking as ever, and a belated happy Matariki!
S xx