Clodagh's Easter feast
Kicking off the countdown to Easter Sunday, Clodagh has two masterclasses and the first is dedicated to those all important sauces to go with your Easter lunch.
She's guiding you through - homemade mint sauce, a simple salsa verde and her delicious red currant gravy.
Salsa verde
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 sprigs fresh basil, chopped
2 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
Method
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together well. Yes, it’s as simple as that!
Fresh mint sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 tbsps fresh mint leaves, chopped
pinch of sea salt
6 tbsp boiling water
6 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tsp caster sugar
Sea salt
Method
1. Place the chopped fresh mint leaves into a jug, pour in the sea salt, caster sugar and pour over the boiling water, stir and leave to cool.
2. Once cooled, stir in the vinegar and leave to stand for 15 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
3. Serve at room temperature
Lamb red currant jelly
Serves 4
Ingredients
250ml chicken stock
100ml red wine
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp soft butter mixed together to form a roux.
Method
1. Once the lamb has finished roasting, remove it from the roasting tray, tent it with tinfoil on a platter. Then place the roasting tin on the hob and add the stock, wine and redcurrant jelly. Use a whisk to scrape up any sticky bits from the base of the tin. Season and simmer until you have a thickened gravy or alternatively whisk in the roux to thicken.
2. Strain through a sieve and serve hot.
It's all about the sides - Clodagh's recipe to the ultimate accompaniments to any Easter roast.
She's got gratin dauphinoise potatoes, crushed Cannellini beans with rosemary, olive oil & sea salt and green beans with slow cooked cherry tomatoes, chilli & garlic.
Creamy gruyere gratin dauphinoise
Serves 4
Ingredients
600g potatoes (King Edwards)
Butter for greasing dish
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
80g gruyere cheese
200ml double cream
100ml milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/360°F/Gas mark 4.
2. Grease a baking dish with butter. Thinly slice the potatoes (or use a mandolin if you have one) and drop them in a pan of boiling water for about 7 minutes, or until just tender, then drain and place them in the buttered dish.
3. Whisk together the cream, milk, garlic, ½ tsp grated nutmeg and cheese. Pour over the potatoes and with your hand push down the potatoes until they are completely immersed in the creamy milk. Place in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the top is golden.
Crushed rosemary Canellini beans
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 x 400g can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary, plus extra to garnish
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a saucepan over a low heat. Pour in the Cannellini beans, garlic and rosemary and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a potato masher, gently crush the beans - you want them to be crushed rather than mashed.
2. Add another tablespoon of olive oil, make sure the beans are hot and then serve.
Green beans, tomato, chilli and garlic
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tin cherry tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
400g fresh French green beans
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Method
1. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add the tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the tinned cherry tomatoes, tomato puree, crushed garlic and chilli flakes. Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Stir well, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Place another pan over a high heat and fill halfway with water and season with sea salt. Bring to the boil, and once at boiling add the green beans. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain.
3. Once the tomato sauce is cooked, remove from the heat. Fold in the cooked green beans and serve.
Roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 leg of lamb, bone in, about 2kg / 4lb
6 garlic cloves, halved lengthways
1 bunch fresh rosemary, sprigs cut in half
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C / Gas mark 6. Make 1-inch deep incisions in the lamb; into each incision insert the garlic cloves (halved lengthways) and halved rosemary sprigs.
3. Rub the olive oil over the lamb and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes for pink lamb (15 minutes per 450g/1lb for rare and 20 minutes for medium).
4. Remove the lamb from the oven, season again and transfer to a tray to rest for 20 minutes before carving.