Lamb Scrumpets with Wild Garlic Mayonnaise

Method

Making homemade mayonnaise can be a little finicky, but worth the effort if you have the time. If you want a quicker and simpler mayo for this recipe, you could forage 50g of wild garlic leaves, wash and dry the leaves then crush in a pestle and mortar until they form a paste. Stir into some shop brought mayo and voila.

However, if you are going to make you're own mayonnaise then you'll want to make the wild garlic oil the day before as the recipe below explains.

The day before

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C fan.

Put the lamb in a steep sided roasting tray, and rub over the garlic and anchovies. Season with salt (a little less than you normally would because the anchovies bring some saltiness too) and black pepper. Drizzle over some olive oil and rub the flavourings into the lamb. Brush the lamb with the rosemary sprigs then place half of your rosemary underneath and the other half on top.

Pour over the wine and stock then cover the tray with baking paper and wrap tightly in foil to keep it in place. Cook in the oven for 4 ½ hours or until soft and tender. Baste the lamb in the juices throughout so the lamb doesn't dry out. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Pour out the liquid from the roasting tray into a bowl. (You don't need it for this recipe but leave it to cool so the fat and stock separates and you can use the stock as a gravy or in another sauce. I made a lamb katsu curry with the left over scrumpets and used the stock as the base of the sauce.)

Pull out the lamb bones (they should pull out with ease) and remove the rosemary sprigs. Cover the lamb with baking paper and add another tray on top, weigh it down with tins to flatten and place in the fridge overnight.

Whist the lamb is cooking you can prepare your wild garlic oil. Prepare a bowl of icy cold water and bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Plunge your wild garlic into the boiling water for about 10-15 seconds then drain and plunge your leaves into the ice bath. Ring out the leaves to remove the water then place on some kitchen roll and pat dry to remove any excess moisture.

Roughly chop the leaves then add them to a blender, and add the vegetable oil. Blend until the oil turns green (about 2-3 minutes).

Line a muslin cloth over a bowl or measuring jug and pour in the oil mixture. Tie up the corners of the cloth and leave hanging over the jug to strain overnight. In the morning you'll be left with bright green oil.

On the day

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan and take the lamb out the fridge.

When at room temperature, place the lamb on a chopping board and trim the sides to create a large rectangle. Don't throw these trimmings away, they are delicious chopped up and fried so they become crispy - great on a salad! Slice up the lamb into smaller rectangles about 3-4cm wide - it should make about 6.

For the coating, add some seasoned flour, eggs and breadcrumbs to three separate plates.

Dunk the slices into the flour, then eggs and then breadcrumbs. The lamb should be fully coated on all sides. Place each slice onto an oven tray. Drizzle with a little oil on each side and place into the oven for 40 minutes or until crispy and golden. Turn half way through.

Whilst the lamb is cooking you can prepare your mayonnaise. Make your mayonnaise by combining the egg yolks, mustard and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until combined then very slowly add the wild garlic oil whilst continuing to whisk vigorously. Keep adding the herb oil slowly and continuously until the mayonnaise starts to thicken. When it's at the desired thickness season with a little salt.

When the lamb is done it's time to plate. Serve each scrumpet with a dollop of wild garlic mayo. This also goes great with a herb salad.

Enjoy!