Great British Food Christmas 2024

“There are somany dishes that I feel are iconic; classic pieces of culinary genius that will never go out of fashion or style. AndThe Mariners’ shepherd’s pie is exactly that” TheMariners’ Shepherd’s Piewith SalsaVerde There are somany dishes that I feel are iconic; classic pieces of culinary genius that will never go out of fashion or style. AndTheMariners’ shepherd’s pie is exactly that. The twist I’ve given this beauty is that, rather than the traditional mint sauce, we serve it with a salsa verde that incorporates three types of soft herb and anchovies, whichwork so beautifullywith the braised lamb. Serves: 4-6 Prepare: 1 hour plus 25 hours brining Cook: 5 hours Brine (see below): 1.5kg lamb shoulder, boned and rolled 4 tbsp olive oil 50ml white wine vinegar 300ml white wine 2 litres lamb stock 3 sprigs of thyme 3 sprigs of rosemary 3 garlic cloves 200g smoked bacon, diced (or lardons) 3 carrots, peeled and finely diced 1 large white onion, finely diced 3 celery sticks, finely diced 20g tomato purée 30ml balsamic vinegar 300ml redwine 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes 2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and diced 10g dried seaweed 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 10 largemint leaves, chopped For the salsa verde: 80ml extra virgin olive oil 1 shallot, diced 20 gmint, leaves picked 20 g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked 20 g basil, leaves picked 4 anchovy fillets (boquerones) Zest and juice of ½ lemon 1 tbspwhite wine vinegar ¼ tsp ground cumin 2 pinches of sea salt For themashed potato: 850 g peeled potatoes (Désirée or Lovers) 200 g salted butter, diced WOWTHIS WINTER Renowned chef Paul Ainsworth has revamped three classic dishes, and they’re sure to impress your guests Splash of wholemilk ¼whole nutmeg, grated 50 g Cheddar, grated 50 g Red Leicester, grated To serve: 200 g lambmince 6mint leaves, finely chopped ½ lemon zest For the brine: 2 litres water 100 g table salt 40 g caster sugar 6 sprigs of thyme 6 sprigs of rosemary 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed 5 black peppercorns 5 coriander seeds 1. To make the brine, bring all of the brine ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan to dissolve the sugar and salt. 2. Submerge the lamb in the cold brine for 24 hours. RECI PES | PAUL AINSWORTH 81 greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com