Herb-Crusted Cannons of Lamb with Butterbean Mash & Hasselback Potatoes
Ingredients
Serves 2-3
Hasselback potatoes
10 small pink fir or Charlotte potatoes
Olive oil or smoked rapeseed oil
Sea salt
Butterbean mash
50g extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig rosemary
1 dried red chilli
2 strips of lemon zest
1 garlic clove, crushed slightly
400g butterbeans (or half a jar of Perello butterbeans, which are the best and don’t need draining)
3 anchovy fillets
Juice of half a lemon
Lamb
2 cannons of lamb
Herb crust
30g panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp French mustard
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
½ tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
Seasoning
Green beans
Method
Hasselback potatoes
Heat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan.
Place the potato in the dip of a wooden spoon. Make cuts across the potatoes (the spoon will stop you cutting through to the base).
Place in an ovenproof dish, cut side up, drizzle generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.
Cook for about 45 minutes, basting occasionally so the oil drips though all the cuts. Add more salt, if necessary. (You can turn the oven down when ready to cook the lamb.)
Butterbean mash
Warm the oil and aromatics in a small saucepan and gently heat for 10 minutes (don’t boil), then turn off the heat and leave for the flavours to infuse.
Place the beans and anchovies in a blender with half of the strained oil, a little water, and a grind of black pepper and blitz to a smooth purée. Add a little water more to achieve a purée consistency. Season to taste with sea salt flakes and black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Warm gently in a saucepan when ready to serve.
Keep any remaining oil to drizzle over vegetables.
Herb-crusted cannons of lamb
Turn the oven down to 200ºC conventional/180ºC fan.
Mix together the herb crust ingredients in a small bowl.
Dry and season the lamb on both sides.
Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan (ovenproof) over a high heat and add a splash of vegetable oil.
Sear the lamb for 30 seconds on both sides.
Remove to a plate and top with the herb crust. Press down firmly. Return to the pan and roast in the oven for 8 minutes (internal temperature 55°C for medium/pink).
Meanwhile cook the green beans for a couple of minutes in salted boiling water.
Leave to rest for a few minutes before carving.
Serve the lamb on the white bean mash with green beans and hasselback potatoes.
