A colleague sent me an email last week asking whether I had any ideas for what he should feed his five flatmates on Friday night. My advice must sit within the following parameters: it had to be good and nothing “too crazily adventurous, just something I might be able to cook given my mediocre skills in the kitchen”. Well, where should I start? Are we talking one course or three? Animal or vegetable? Cold or hot? The possibilities are endless.
I wrote back to that effect and was given a few further pointers: meat yes, fish no, veg yes, mains only, and “wintery is cool though not anything too wintery like stew” (there goes that idea). This was slightly more helpful, though it still leaves the food enthusiast with far too many options than is sensible, particularly if you are not too bothered about the answer (I never did get a response).
Since he had not specified a type of meat (and as it gave me an excuse to deviate longer from the rather boring task I was undertaking at the time) I suggested a chicken, a lamb and a beef option, one of which was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Roast breast of lamb with fennel salt.
I have always thought lamb and fennel a wonderful combination; whether we are talking about the vegetable or the spice, its distinctive aniseed aroma stands up against the strongly-flavoured meat and, in Hugh’s words, "cuts through its inherent fattiness”.
One of the best variations on this theme that I have tried was in Bell Pepper Blues restaurant (now closed) in Dunedin, New Zealand, where they served a roast lamb rump with potato gratin and fennel aioli. I was amazed at the intensity of the fennel flavour they managed to distil into the mayonnaise; I have attempted to replicate it many times, but I’ve never produced anything as memorable as the original.
People who do not like liquorice often recoil at the mention of fennel; for their benefit I feel it important to add that the aniseed flavour is most pungent in the seeds and raw vegetable, but is much mellower when the vegetable is cooked. Until recently the boyfriend fit into this category, but I have won him round by serving the vegetable disguised in rich sauces or roasted till it caramelises beyond recognition. In doing so, he has learnt to enjoy the mild aroma of the cooked bulb and so I thought he might be ready for the bolder taste of the seeds in this dish. He loved it, even adding extra fennel salt to season his portion of the lamb.
As ever, I did a few things differently, but these were mostly to do with practicalities, rather than because I saw a need to improve upon the original recipe.
The main difference was that I used a deboned leg of lamb, rather than breast, because that is what was available. In retrospect, this was probably for the best since my oven does not really do the low temperatures that the breast requires in order to avoid cooking it to a tough leather. I like my lamb medium-rare so having blasted the 1kg joint for 20 minutes at 220C (which helps get the heat through to the centre), I added the vegetables, reduced the heat to 180C and cooked it for a further 40 minutes. I calculated this based on 20 minutes standard cooking time, plus 20 minutes per 500g of lamb. It came out perfectly, but I am hesitant to suggest this as a rule of thumb for timing roast lamb because there are so many variables.
You may have noticed in the pictures that I added half a knob of garlic. I love the sweet, nutty characteristic that garlic takes on when roasted and I think it makes a wonderful condiment for any roast meat. The recipe didn't specify what type of onions to use, so I used one brown and one red, but that was purely for aesthetic purposes.
I would advise toasting the fennel seeds before crushing them, which enhances their flavour and aroma. I also think it worked well serving the leftover fennel salt alongside the lamb and vegetables as an alternative to salt and pepper.
I really enjoyed this recipe and highly recommend it, but I think it would have benefited from the addition of some sort of sauce; a fennel aioli, perhaps? This was one of the many pointers I gave in the email I sent my colleague, which also included an essay on the various techniques I have tried to replicate the original. This may explain why my suggestions fell on deaf ears.
Ingredients
For the fennel salt
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp flaky sea salt
For the lamb
1 breast of lamb, boned, any skin and surplus fat removed
2 fennel bulbs, each cut into 6 wedges
2 large onions, each cut into 4 wedges
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large chunks
A little white wine or water
Method
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. First make the fennel salt. Pound the fennel seeds, peppercorns and chilli in a pestle and mortar (or in a small bowl using the end of a rolling pin), and mix with the salt.
Lay the lamb flat on a board and season with fennel salt. You will not need all the mixture – keep leftovers in a jar, and use to season fish, pork or lamb. Roll up the breast tightly and secure in three or four places with kitchen string. Transfer to a roasting tin and roast for half an hour. Turn down the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2 and take the tin out of the oven. Transfer the lamb to a board, scatter the fennel, onion and potatoes in the tin, turning them in the oily pan juices until well coated and season with more fennel salt. Put the lamb on top and roast for an hour and a half, turning the vegetables a few times, until both lamb and veg are tender. Check from time to time – if the veg look dry, sprinkle with a little wine or water; if it's browning too quickly, cover the lot with foil.
Transfer the meat to a heated serving plate, leave to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes, then cut into thick slices. Arrange on warm plates, along with the roasted veg, spoon over any juices and serve.
Vix
