Rosemary Lamb Chops with Garlic Mash and Port Jus

Simple British food at its best - I just don't think you can beat the flavour of Welsh lamb, especially when cooked like this. The garlic mash makes this dish a little more special and the gravy made from the juices of the meat with a cheeky shot of Port finishes it off wonderfully.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Mash:

2 Large floury potatoes (diced)

2 Large garlic cloves

2 Tbsp Soured Cream

50g Salted Butter

For the Lamb chops:

4 Good quality lamb chops

2 Tbsp Garlic infused rapeseed oil

2 Tbsp Rosemary infused rapeseed oil

Tbsp Chopped rosemary

Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, coat the chops in the oils, rosemary, salt and pepper, cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 190c.

3. Chop the ends off of the garlic cloves, dip them in oil and roast alongside the chops for 20 mins. Remove from oven and leave to rest in a warm place, reserving the juices in a small pan.

4. Whilst the chops are roasting, bring the potatoes to the boil in salted water for 25-30 mins or until soft, then drain and return to the pan.

5. Add the butter, soured cream and squeeze out the roasted garlic pulp from its papery skin and mash all together, whisking and mashing until there are no lumps left. Keep warm.

6. Heat the meat juices on the hob, add a shot of Port and some water and reduce until it reaches the desired consistency. If your meat didn't leave you with much juice, add a lamb stock cube.

You could always cheat and use granulated gravy and just add the port and meat juices to it and stir well!

7. Serve the chops on top of the garlic mash, with some of your favourite steamed vegetables and add the gravy. Simple!

Smoked Salmon and King Prawns with Horseradish Cream and Sourdough Toast

I had this as a starter in Llandudno at the weekend and it was divine so last night I tried to replicate it for tea and we were simply amazed with the results. This isn't really what I would call a recipe as there is very little in the way of actual cooking, but it definitely deserves a place on this blog as it is amazingly tasty.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Thick Slices of Sourdough Bread

1 Tbsp Horseradish Sauce

4 Tbsp Double Cream

350g Smoked Salmon

350g Raw King Prawns

Mixed Peppery Salad Leaves

An inch Cucumber (quartered and sliced)

A Couple of Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)

2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

Method:

1. Lightly toast the bread on both sides.
2. Mix the horseradish and cream and spread over the toast.
3. Layer the salmon on top, followed by the salad leaves and scatter the remaining salad around the dish.
4. Heat some butter in a wok or frying pan and fry the garlic and parsley for a minute before adding the prawns. Cook the prawns until pink then scatter around the dish.
5. Pour the remaining garlic butter over the salad and serve with a basket of chips.

Hearty Sausage and Bean Casserole

Here's a hearty winter-warmer for you all to enjoy. Surprisingly, I had never cooked with dried pulses before this meal due to the fact that you need to soak them overnight and I am normally a "throw together what I feel like at the time" sort of guy. However, I'm glad that I took the time because it has changed my world. It is amazing how filling this meal is and tastes absolutely divine. I have used pork sausages but you can experiment with other meats - lamb sausages would work tremendously with a couple of sprigs of rosemary instead of the herbs used here.

Ingredients:

10 Large Premium Pork Sausages (I used Cumberland)

100g Dried Yellow Split-Peas

100g Dried Red Lentils

100g Dried Green Lentils

100g Dried Haricot beans

2 Brown Onions (Thinly Sliced)

Chicken Stock

400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

Tin of Sweetcorn

2 Tbsp Fresh Oregano (Finely Chopped)

2 sprigs of Basil

2 Bay leaves

2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

1 Tbsp Tomato Puree

Preparation:

Soak the dried pulses in plenty of water overnight.

Method:

1. In a large heavy based casserole dish, brown the sausages in a little butter and oil over a medium-high heat, then remove and set aside.

2. Lower the heat and, in the same fat, gently fry over the onions for 5 mins, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute. 

3.Add your drained pulses and fry for another minute before adding enough chicken stock to just cover everything. Put the sausages back in the casserole, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to the boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer for an hour.

4. 10 minutes before the end, add the sweetcorn and whole sprigs of basil.

5. Remove the bay leaves and basil before serving with some crusty bread and butter.