Crown Roast Of Lamb Recipe

Directions Make the mushroom stuffing. Melt 30g of the butter and cook the spring onions gently for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms, thyme and parsley. Cook briskly for 5 to 6 minutes then remove from the heat and add the remaining butter and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If liked, slice additional mushrooms. Keep aside and, when serving the crown roast, top with mushrooms browned in butter. Wrap the ends of the bones of the crown roast in aluminium foil. Stand the lamb in a roasting pan and roast in a hot oven 200C (400F) for 30 minutes. Spoon the stuffing into centre and roast for a further 30 minutes or until the juices run pale pink when the meat is pricked with a skewer. Transfer to a heated platter and allow to stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes while making the gravy. When ready to serve, the foil is removed and a cutlet frill may be placed on the end of each bone. Carve at the table straight down between two bones into double cutlets.

GRAVY: Pour all except 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onion to the pan and stir over a moderate heat until browned. Add the flour and stir until a good brown color then add the stock or vegetable water. Stir until bubbling gently, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook for a few minutes. Strain and serve in a sauceboat with the lamb.

This is indeed a dish for special occasions. A crown roast is simply two racks of lamb bent round and sewn together at each end with the bones on the outside and the meat on the inside. A rack consists of the 6-7 rib chops or cutlets which adjoin the short-loin chops on one end and the forequarter on the other. For a crown roast or other dish using rack of lamb, the joint is chined, the skin and some of the thick fat covering are trimmed off and the meat is cleaned away from around the bones for about 4cm from the ends. Your butcher will usually do all this for you if you give a little notice. Order your crown roast by the number of cutlets, according to how many people you plan to serve. It is usual to allow two cutlets per serving, although for small spring lamb you may wish to serve three.