Alan Cahill's Easter Main Course Recipe

Michelin trained Chef Alan Cahill who is currently working in Sommero house in Oslo, and a former sous chef for famous Irish chef Richard Corrigan will be taking us through a classic Easter dinner recipe, Over the next few weeks Alan will be sharing a few of his thoughts on what to do with leftover Easter eggs and some cheeky wine tips.

Prep:50 mins - 1 hr (4 hours overnight marinating) Serves 4 people

Ingredients
2 racks of lamb
8 garlic cloves roughly chopped
a few sprigs of rosemary
8 tbsp light olive oil
4 tbsp of vegetable oil
1.5kg medium-sized potatoes (Maris piper or King Edward work well), peeled if you like
Salt and pepper

Method for Lamb

STEP 1
Stand the racks of lamb in a glass pyrex dish, scatter the garlic and rosemary over the top, and drizzle with the olive oil. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours (or overnight if you have the time), turning occasionally so every part of your lamb is covered.

STEP 2
Preheat the oven to fan 200C. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy frying pan over a moderately high heat and brown two of the racks well on the meaty sides for about 1-2 minutes, then turn and brown the other sides for a further 1 minute. Finally, brown the ends briefly so that all of the exposed meat is seared.

STEP 3
Rack of lamb cooking time:
Put racks in a large roasting tin, standing them in pair with their bones interlinked. Roast for about 15 minutes for very pink meat, 20 minutes for medium rare (temperature 54C) and 25 minutes for medium/well-done and 30 minutes for well done.

STEP 4
Transfer the lamb to a warmed plate, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest in a warm place for about 10 minutes before carving (if you have to wait longer than this, you may want to return the lamb to the oven for a minute or so before serving, to bring back up to temperature). Carve into cutlets and serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of your favourite potatoes, My personal favourite are roast and I love to serve lamb with some fresh cabbage.

Method for your Roast potatoes

Toss potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. I just do this on the tray, Then toss through garlic and thyme.
Roast for 30 minutes at 200°C / ).
Toss – Remove from the oven, then toss. If any are stuck, leave them. They will release when ready!
PRO TIP: Arrange the less golden cut sides facedown on the tray as they will get the best colour during the 2nd baking time.
Roast for a further 25 to 35 minutes. Toss again then pile onto the serving plate and enjoy.

Method for your Cabbage
Ingredients

FOR THE BUTTER
2 cloves garlic , peeled
1 dried red chilli
a few sprigs fresh Rosemary , leaves picked
7 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
250 g cold unsalted butter

FOR THE GREENS
4 large handfuls mixed green cabbage leaves
1. The beauty of this recipe is that you can vary the flavour combos; herbs work really well, or you can try things like olives.
2. Add the garlic, chilli, rosemary and anchovies to a food processor and whiz until fairly fine. Dice and add the cold butter, then whiz again until well combined.
3. Get yourself a good-sized piece of greaseproof paper and place the butter into the centre. Fold the paper over and roll it around until you have an even-sized log. Twist up the ends to seal then pop in the fridge or freezer until needed.
4. Wash and drain your cabbage leaves, getting rid of any tough stalks. Add to a large pan of salted boiling water, bring back to the boil then cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain well in a colander and leave to cool.
Carefully squeeze the cabbage leaves to get rid of any excess moisture. Add a slice of your flavoured butter to a large pan on a high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the leaves and toss around for a couple of minutes until hot through. Serve with a tiny extra knob of melting butter on top.