Incredible Italian Lamb

This lamb dish was the main course of my Italian themed menu for my aunty's birthday (See Brilliant Butternut Sqaush Ravioli). Taking all my favourite ingredients from Italy - mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, thyme and oregano - I put together a main course that was not only a flavour explosion but also good-looking on the plate! 

The lamb was roasted in its own juices along with tomatoes and cheese to create a super juicy piece of meat. It was placed on top of creamy smoked garlic mash and accompanied by buttery peas and broad beans. This recipe is great for dinner parties because it looks truly impressive and yet can be mostly prepared in advance to make serving on the night a breeze. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, the dish is actually very simple to achieve.

Incredible Italian Lamb

Serves 4

For the marinade:

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp cider/white wine vinegar

½ lemon, juice only

1 tbsp tomato purée

For the lamb:

2 lamb neck fillets, approx 225g/8oz each

2 tomatoes, sliced

 8 slices of sundried tomatoes

55g/2oz mozzarella cheese, sliced

For the smoked garlic mash:

1kg floury potatoes, peeled, chopped

2 bulb smoked garlic

6 tbsp olive oil

220ml double cream

220ml milk

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the vegetables:

100g butter

100g frozen peas

100g frozen broad beans

250g chicken stock

4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

400g baby spinach leaves

Preheat the oven to 165C/325F/Gas 3. Place the smoked garlic bulbs in a small roasting tray drizzle generously with olive and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a bowl. Leave in the fridge until needed.

Mix together the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the lamb, cover and leave for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

To cook, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place each fillet on a large square of cooking foil. Cover the fillet with a layer of tomatoes (both type) follow this with a layer of mozzarella then a second layer on top and pour over the marinade.

Wrap the lamb in the foil to create a sealed package, place on a baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Allow to rest in the foil for 10 minutes before slicing each in half.

Meanwhile, for the smoked garlic mash, boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water for 15-18 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and return to the pan. Return to the heat for a few seconds to drive off any excess moisture.

Take the cloves of smoked garlic from the fridge, then add to the pan with the potatoes and mix well. Pass the potatoes and garlic through a potato ricer, or mash well with a potato masher. Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil, cream and milk. Mix well until smooth and creamy, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm.

For the vegetables, melt half of the butter in a frying pan until foaming, then fry the peas and broad beans for a 1-2 minutes, then pour over 125ml/4½fl oz of the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the peas and beans are tender and the stock has thickened. Stir in the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt the remaining butter in a clean frying pan until foaming. Add the spinach and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly, or until just wilted. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, place a large spoonful of mash in the centre of the plate and put a piece of lamb on top. Arrange the peas, broad beans and spinach around the outside and spoon over the juices from the lamb.