Recipe#3519

Title: Braised Lamb

From: "IrishFood" irishfood@usa.net 
 Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes 
 Subject: Braised Mount Errigal Lamb in Poitin and Buttermilk Bread 
 Date: 2 Jun 1997 16:03:24 -0600 
 Message-ID: <5mvfvc$ene$1@mack.rt66.com> 

This succulent lamb dish is a variation of the classic meat encased in
 pastry but with a distinctly Irish twist. It is braised with lamb stock
 and a good dash of Poitin. The cooled joint is encased in butter milk
 dough and cooked a second time producing a delicious golden brown crust.
 Poitin is not generally available, of course, but an Irish whiskey such as
 Jameson could be used instead. 
 Ingredients
 1 shoulder of spring lamb, boned and trimmed
 2 tablesp. oil
 Mixture of sliced onion, carrot & celery for flavouring, blanched
 About 250 ml (1/2 pint) lamb stock, or as required
 1/2 miniature bottle of whiskey
 10 finely sliced smoked streaky rashers, rindless
 Buttermilk dough
 225 gm (8oz) strong white flour, sifted
 1/2 level teasp. salt
 3.5 gm (1/2 sachet) easy-mix dried yeast
 1 tablesp. (15ml) oil (optional)
 50 ml (2 fl oz) boiling water
 100 ml (4 fl oz) buttermilk
 To finish
 Egg wash (beaten egg mixed with water) to glaze
 Poppy seeds and sesame seeds to sprinkle
 To accompany
 Glazed seasonal vegetables
 How to cook Tie the lamb neatly with cotton kitchen string. Select a heavy
 flameproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid just deep enough to hold the
 joint. Heat, add the oil, then the lamb; turn to seal on all sides, then
 remove. Lay the vegetable mixture in the casserole to make a bed for the
 lamb, return the meat to the casserole and add enough lamb stock to come
 about 2/3rds of the way up the meat and the whiskey. Cover and cook gently
 on the hob or in a very moderate oven, 325 degrees F/160 degrees C/Gas
 mark 3 for about 2 hours, until tender. Remove the lamb and set aside to
 cool. Allow the cooking liquor to stand for 10 minutes, then skim off the
 fat. Strain, boil to reduce by half; season and set aside. When the lamb
 has cooled, remove the string and wrap the meat in fine streaky rashers.
 Meanwhile preheat a fairly hot oven, 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/Gas mark
 6 (fan oven 165 degrees C) and prepare the bread dough. Thouroughly mix
 flour, salt and yeast. Blend the oil, if using, with the water and
 buttermilk to make a tepid mixture. Add to the dry ingredients, mix well
 and knead until a smooth elastic dough is formed. (A little extra flour or
 liquid can be added if required.) Roll the dough out to make a piece big
 enough to enfold the meat; wrap the cooled meat in it, then set aside for
 10-15 minutes on a lightly oiled roasting tin until the dough crust has
 puffed up to about twice its previous thickness. Brush with eggwash and
 sprinkle lightly with seeds. Put into the preheated oven (400 degrees
 F/200 degrees C/Gas mark 6/fan oven 160 degrees C). Cook for 15 minutes,
 then reduce to 325 degrees F/160 degrees C/gas mark 3/fan oven 150 degrees
 C and bake for a further 40 minutes, until the bread is cooked and
 golden-brown and lamb has heated through. 
 To serve Cut one quite thick slice per serving and lay on a bed of crunchy
 spring vegetables (eg carrots and sprouting broccoli cooked lightly and
 glazed with a little butter). Heat the reserved reduced cooking liquor;
 pour some of it attractively over the meat and hand the rest separately.