CHEF'S SPECIAL

The Leeds Guide 2nd April 2008

Every issue, the region’s top chefs share their culinary secrets with a recipe for you to try at home

The spotlight fell on Salvo’s chef James Darbyshire to produce the wonder dish to get us salivating this fortnight, and he didn’t disappoint with what sounds like the perfect pot roast. Salvo’s is one of the area’s best Italian restaurants and, as such, it has become an institution in Headingley with its tasty Mediterranean menu. This recipe shows there’s more to this little gem than meets the eye.

SLOW POT ROAST LAMB SHOULDER WITH REDCURRENT JUS, GARDEN PEAS AND GARLIC CREAM POTATOES

Serves 6-8 people

Preparation time: 4 hours

Ingredients
1 large boned and rolled lamb shoulder
200g diced carrot
200g diced celery
200g diced onion
1 small bag of garden peas
2 large sprigs of rosemary
1 bulb of garlic
Tomato puree
Jar of redcurrant jelly
Half bottle of red wine
1 pint of veal or beef stock

For the potatoes:
2kg of waxy potatoes (red skinned)
1 pint of double cream
4 cloves of garlic
Salt & pepper
100g grated parmesan

Instructions
Roughly skewer the lamb with a thin kitchen knife, stuffing the holes with rosemary and garlic. Rub the lamb with seasoning and seal off in a large sauté pan on a high heat, then place in ovenproof dish. Keep the pan and add a glug of olive oil. Allow to heat for a couple of minutes, and then add the diced vegetables (sofrito) to the oil. Sauté well, deglaze with some of the red wine and add to the lamb. Cover with lid or tin foil and cook for three hours at 120 degrees.

Peel the potatoes and slice thinly, either with a mandoline or sharp kitch-en knife. Mix the cream, chopped garlic and seasoning (note: add a couple of dessertspoons of salt as the potatoes absorb a lot of flavour). Mix the pota-toes and cream mixture together and place in an ovenproof dish, and cover with foil. Cook for two hours on 120 degrees.

Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from oven and sprinkle parme-san on top then cook for a further 20 minutes until golden brown.

When the lamb is ready, take out of the cooking liquid and put to one side to rest for 30 minutes or so. Add a large tablespoon of tomato puree to the liquid with the peas and simmer till the peas are cooked. Add the redcur-rant jelly and check for seasoning.

Slice the lamb and serve as shown.

Enjoy!