All the Gratins

These gratin dishes were originally put together to use the residual heat from the baker’s oven for the family Sunday meal, prepared and left with the baker to be cooked  in the cooling bread oven and be collected after church and taken home to eat.

 

These days we are used to strong flavours, but please don’t be tempted to add more herbs, garlic or stock. The way these dishes are put together makes them pack beautiful flavour. It’s tempting to tweak recipes, but try and resist.

You can make all the potato elements of these gratins into vegetarian or vegan dishes by substituting oil and plant milk.

The recipes are for a group of 6-8, using a large quantity of potatoes - I'll be working on versions for smaller meals and will post them in a while.

 

This recipe collection was saved by my parents, cut out from a magazine and kept, despite them having multiple cookbooks and years of experience. It's a high recommendation.

Gigot boulangere – roast leg of lamb on potatoes

 

For 6-8 people

cooking time 4h+

 

Ingredients

One leg of lamb 1.75-2kg

2.5kg/5½lb potatoes

100g butter

sprigs of thyme, bay leaves

2 cloves of garlic

pepper and salt

an oven dish as long as the leg of lamb, and around as deep as your finger

 

Method

set the oven to warm 6 (400 or 200) at least 15 minutes in advance

Lamb

 

The lamb can be prepared in advance but should be at room temperature when you start to prepare the meal

• Peel the garlic cloves, cut into long slivers and with a sharp knife puncture the leg deep into the meat and push the slivers in, repeat until you’ve used all the garlic
• Mash half the butter with pepper and salt, then slather over the leg of lamb and set aside.

 Potatoes

• peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices then spread them out in the oven dish in layers
• between each layer put a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf and repeat until the potatoes are all in the dish
• add enough water in the dish to reach the top of the potatoes, sprinkle with pepper and salt and add half the butter
• set the potatoes to cook in the oven for around two hours – check them after 20m, and once they are boiling turn the heat down to 5/375/190. the potatoes  should be completely cooked before you add the lamb, but still be pale
• take the cooked potatoes out and put the buttered, seasoned, garlic studded leg of lamb onto them
• turn the oven to its highest setting
• cook the lamb for 15m per lb/500g to be pink/a point or 20m per lb/500g to be cooked through
• check the lamb every 20m, turning it if it’s very coloured, there is no need to baste it

Once cooked rest the lamb 15 minutes, when carving save the jus to pour over the cooked potatoes

 

Roti de porc boulangere – roast pork on potatoes

 

For 6-8 people

Cooking time 3h+

Ingredients

1.8kg/4lb rack or loin of pork

2.5kg/5½lb of potatoes

60g butter

thym, bay leaves

nutmeg

pepper and salt

 

Method

set the oven to warm 6 (400 or 200) at least 15 minutes in advance

 

prepare the pork by rubbing mashing the pepper and salt into the butter and rubbing it all over the meat

 

• peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices then spread them out in the oven dish in layers
• between each layer grate a little nutmeg, crumble thyme and break up a bay leaf and repeat until the potatoes are all in the dish
• add enough water in the dish to reach the top of the potatoes, sprinkle with pepper and salt and add half the butter
• set the potatoes to cook in the oven for an hour
• adding water to bring it up to the top layer of the potatoes if needed before sitting the pork onto the potatoes

• the pork needs to cook through, in a low oven, allow 22-28m per lb/500g, so turn the oven to 2/300/150 ie around 1¾h depending on the thickness of the joint, then turn off the oven leaving the dish inside for 5-10m
• at this point the liquid in the potatoes will be almost completely gone
• put the dish on the table and carve the pork, pouring any juices into the potato gratin

 

Pommes boulangere – potato gratin or layered baked potatoes

 

For 6-8 people

cooking time around 2h

 

Ingredients

2kg/5lb potatoes

10 onions – medium sized

60g/4 tbsp of butter

3 tbsp oil

salt and pepper

nutmeg

 

Method

roughly chop the peeled onions and cook in a pan on a gentle heat with the oil and half the butter, stirring, making sure they stay pale. Cook until transparent.

 

Set the oven to warm mark 6/400/200 at least 15 minutes in advance

 

peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices then spread them out in the oven dish in layers

between each layer grate a little nutmeg and add some cooked onion mixture and repeat until the potatoes are all in the dish

add enough water in the dish to reach the top of the potatoes, sprinkle with pepper and salt and add the rest of the butter and the cooking fat from the onion pan

set the potatoes to cook in the oven for an hour then turn the oven up to its maximum temperature and cook another 30m

 

This dish goes well with any roast meat, ham, dried or cooked sausages

 

Gratin Dauphinois – Creamy baked potato gratin

 

This richer version of gratin potatoes goes best with plainer roasts, boiled meats or plain fish dishes. It is delicious, but has a richness of a savoury pudding, and that’s why the quantity of potatoes is reduced. It’s delicious as a main dish and you can make it with plant milk to serve a vegan dish – don’t use coconut oil, it makes it too dessert-y.

 

Some versions of this dish include egg and even cheese, which creates something very like a potato version of macaroni cheese, tipping it over into excess stodge, don’t do it.

 

cooking time 1.5h+

For 6-8 people

 

Ingredients

2kg/5lb potatoes

four cloves of garlic

½ litre/1 pint warmed milk

6 tbsps cream or crème fraiche

 

Method

rub a peeled clove of garlic around a large deep gratin dish, and crush the remaining garlic into a paste

peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices then spread half the potatoes into layers in the oven dish

season with pepper and salt, sprinkling of crumbled thyme and half the crushed garlic

add more layers until the potatoes are all in the dish

mix the milk and cream and pour over the potatoes, adding enough water in the dish if needed to reach the top of the potatoes – leave enough room above the layered potatoes so that when the milk boils it stays inside the dish

cook for 1½h or until the milk has boiled away and the potatoes are cooked through

 

Serve with plain meat or fish and lightly cooked vegetables

Slow cooked lamb, Greek style - Kleftiko

This recipe produces slow cooked tender lamb that falls apart easily and melts in the mouth. It makes the idea of being toothless not such a worry - a comfort to the ageing. It's gently flavoured with lemon and oregano backed up by the warmth of cinnamon, all of which soak into the potatoes sit under the lamb as it cooks. The resulting juice has a silky translucence.

I use Felicity Cloake’s Kleftiko recipe. I’ve edited it into steps to make it easier to plan the cooking. This is an easy dish with not too many ingredients, and the flavours are lovely, the lemon sings through.

I have failed to take any pictures both times I have made this meal - next time I make it…. pix to follow.

You need to start preparing this dish the day before, because the meat needs to marinade at least 12 hours. You can leave it a bit longer. I’ve tried making it ahead - up to the last two steps (completely cooked, just needs blasting at a hot temperature) - and everyone was happy, but I preferred it cooked and served immediately.

I have scaled this dish up to serve 20 people, doing a whole shoulder cut into two, and that works fine. I’ve also included a bit more liquid and more potatoes and that works too. It's an adaptable and forgiving recipe.

If you're feeding a crowd keep them happy with some easy starters, watermelon and mint, hummus and pitta, sliced cucumbers, a simple herby salsa, tzatziki. Buy them in, why not?

I like to serve a green salad alongside the lamb, with crusty bread.

Kleftiko

(serves 6)

1 lamb shoulder, about 2kg

Olive oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 heads of garlic

2 lemons

1 kg waxy potatoes

1 large red onion

1 red pepper

1 bay leaf

12 cherry tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes cut into quarters

Step 1 - day or night before serving

• Make a paste with the oil, juice of one lemon, cinnamon, oregano, salt, half a head of garlic (crushed cloves)
• Rub paste into the meat and leave for 12 hours

Step 2

• Heat the oven to 160C. 
• Use a large lidded casserole large enough for the shoulder and vegetables, or use a baking dish with a lid of double layer of baking parchment
• Cut the peeled or cleaned potatoes into wedges and spread across the bottom of the dish
• Cut the onion into wedges and the seeded pepper into chunky strips alongside the cherry tomatoes.
• Cut the remaining garlic and lemon across their width, squeeze the lemon briefly over the potatoes, and put the hollowed out lemons, the garlic and a bayleaf into the middle of the dish.
• Pour in 200ml of water and set the lamb on top of the lemon, garlic and bayleaf, pushing it in gently.
• Seal in the meat and veg using baking parchment under the lid, or tucking the double layer of parchment around the meat to enclose everything. 
• Bake for 4-5 hours until very tender.
• Turn the oven up to 220C remove the lid or paper and roast, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes
• Set the meat aside and cover
• Roast the veg for another 15 minutes at the higher temperature so they brown and the liquid reduces

Serve the meat and veg together

Kofte to everyone

Just had lovely lunch of wrapped kofte made by David, with houmous, salad and yoghurt. His recipe includes pine nuts with pork and beef. It reminded me of jzz bzz kofte, which I must make again soon, to eat with tahini sauce and rocket.

Saturday roast

We've been invited to our first bbq of the year on Sunday, so we're having our roast on Saturday. Slow roast shoulder of lamb, done in the greek manner, kleftiko style. Flavour is provided by the bone remaining in, seasoned with lemon juice, oregano and thyme. Slow cooked while wrapped, the meat becomes extremely tender and flavoursome, and can be pulled apart with a couple of forks. Good for the dentally challenged amongst us.

I will make pommes boulangeres to go with, not dauphinoise, that is too rich. Pictures and recipes to follow.

Jzz Bzz Kofte

These lamb meatballs are very tasty, economic, and easy to make. My dad called them jzz bzz, because that is the sound they make as they cook. I can’t find the family recipe, so I made them from memory. They worked well - although the ingredients are simple the flavour is wonderful.

1 large lamb neck fillet, minced

Handful of chopped parsley

Salt

Pepper

1 piece of white bread

1 clove garlic

½ onion

3 tbsp milk

Tear up the bread, discarding the crust and soak it in the milk

Chop the peeled onion, parsley and garlic finely.

Combine all the ingredients together well (taking the soaked bread and discarding any milk not absorbed).

Make into oval meatballs.

Grill or griddle turning twice, for about 6 minutes.

Eat with a lovely green salad and rice.

Making the meatballs

I wet my hands, take a good pinch of the mixture and put it into the crook of my palm and press gently.

The meatballs need to dry a little in the open air, to help them keep their shape when cooking – leave on a dish or board for about 20m – keep greedy cats away.

who likes lamb?

I forgot to post this recipe, that I wrote out in December. I think lamb is underrated, I like it cooked rare, or cooked long and slow. This recipe is for long and slow... 

Red-cooked lamb

My father used to say that the test of a good restaurant was in tasting a pre-prepared dish. Short-order cooking is one thing, but taking time to cook a dish in advance requires other skills. Red-cooked food is in this category, however it is wonderfully simple to make, whether it is meat, fish or veg.

This way of cooking results in meat that is sweet, pungent in the best way and tender enough to be eaten with chopsticks. There isn't a lot of sauce, but what there is pumps out flavour. It makes me think of that Greek dish, kleftiko.

Lamb is treated the same as beef or pork. The meat is sealed, then braised on a very low heat, and is basted every 20 minutes while cooking.

Recipe

ingredients
4-5 tbsp veg oil
1.35kg meat with some fat on, such as shank, belly, blade or rib
4-5 tbsp soya sauce
6-7 tbsp red wine or sherry
6-7 tbsp water
2 tsp sugar
large slice of ginger
two star anise
strip of orange peel (without pith) or a bouquet garni

set oven to 140 C/275 F/ Gas Mark 1

method
Don't trim the meat, leave on fat and skin.
Heat the oil in a casserole on medium heat, and add the meat, sealing it on all sides.
Turn heat down to very low and add half the soya sauce, half the wine, half the water and half the sugar. Stir the meat in the mixture a few times, put the lid on and transfer to the preheated oven.
Cook for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another hour, basting every 20 minutes.

Serve with rice.

I like to eat it with stir-fried curried cabbage with coconut and lime.

Moroccan braised and browned lamb

This slow cooked lamb is wonderfully succulent, tasty and requires almost no chewing. All the flavours are gentle and the aroma is enticing. Several friends who were sure they didn't like lamb enjoyed eating it so much that they now cook it themselves.


The pleasure of this is that it's very simple to prepare, and is still a bit of a show piece. It works with rice, couscous or potatoes.

The meat needs to sit in its marinade for at least two hours, or overnight.

The original recipe comes from a wonderful book, Couscous by Paula Wolfert. 

Moroccan braised and browned lamb (El Lahn Mahammer)

El lahm mahammer is traditionally served either with fried almonds or fried potatoes.

equipment:        small bowl

                        large casserole

preparation:       15 mins work

                        2 hours marinading

cooking:            2 hours braising

                        20 mins baking

Recipe

Ingredients

½ leg of lamb

2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)

pinch powdered saffron

100g softened unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1½ tsps paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

2 cups grated onion (two small onions)

salt to taste

5 sprigs green coriander tied in bunch with thread

½ cup whole blanched almonds

15 mins prep + 2 hours standing

Trim fat off the lamb. Mash the garlic cloves with the spices and blend with the butter to make a paste. Rub well into the pieces of lamb and let stand for a few hours.

2 hours braising

Place the onion, two cups water, and salt in a large casserole, with the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover, simmer for one hour, occasionally turning and basting the lamb. Add the coriander sprigs. Continue cooking the lamb for 30 minutes, adding water if necessary. Preheat the oven to 450o. Cook the lamb another 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

10 minutes

heat oven to F450^o/gas mark 8/230C


Transfer the lamb to the ovenproof serving dish, and cover to keep warm. Skim the remaining liquid. Discard the fat - or save it to fry potatoes.

30 minutes

Reduce the liquid left in the casserole to a thick gravy, boiling it vigorously, stirring all the time. Spoon the gravy over lamb and brown in the oven for 20 minutes, basting occasionally.

While the lamb is baking sauté the almonds in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and chop coarsely or leave whole. Sprinkle nuts over the meat just before serving.

Slow cooked lamb shanks – cooked with red wine and a slug of balsamic

I like my onions sliced like this

This is a simple way to make the most of lamb shanks. If you don’t want a large meal, use smaller ones! Basically this is a stew, with meat on the bone and gravy with a lot of wallop and a very light tang. The carrots and onions become melt-in-the-mouth tender.

I know, there’s no picture of the finished dish. I’m going to have to cook it again soon, and will add the photos then. We were just too busy eating it to take photos!

Serve with a green salad and steamed potatoes.

a flour drenched lamb shank

Ingredients

4 large lamb shanks

plain flour

butter

olive oil

2 onions , thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves , crushed

4 large carrots

100ml balsamic vinegar

500ml red wine, full bodied

2 tbsp tomato purée

½ tsp dried mixed herbs

generous grindings of black pepper

three large pinches of salt

Heat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6

                                                     Method

I like my carrot slices assymetrical

• Mix flour, pepper and salt, and drench the lamb shanks with the mixture
• Heat a thick bottomed casserole over a medium heat and add a knob of butter and olive oil
• Add the onions and cook until soft, then scoop out
• Put in the lamb shanks and brown all over
• Put the onions back in the casserole with the garlic, balsamic, wine, tomato purée, herbs and season

ground pepper and salt in a shiny bowl

Cover, put in the oven and cook for 1 hour at Gas Mark 6, then reduce and cook for two hours at 300F/150C/Gas Mark 2, until the meat is almost falling off the bone

If the sauce seems too thin, remove the lamb from the casserole and keep warm and boil down the juices to thicken them

If you have fresh herbs use a sprig each of rosemary and thyme together with a bayleaf.