Brian Mcdermott's Easy Easter Recipes

Brian McDermott’s Easy Easter Recipes

Herb Roast Leg of Donegal Lamb Donegal has the most sheep in Ireland of any county at a staggering 495,163 sheep. As reported by the Farmers Journal following a sheep census. So it’s without saying we would know how to rare the best lambs in the country and yes I honestly believe we have the best lamb available here in Donegal. A lamb is a young sheep usually under the age of One year old.

Ingredients

 1 leg of lamb, approx 2kg  4 cloves of garlic  2 sprigs rosemary  5 sprigs thyme  6 Mint Leaves  Zest of 1 lemon  Drizzle of rapeseed oil  Fresh ground black pepper  Tablespoon of tomato puree

For resting leg on lamb on:

 2 potatoes peeled  2 onions peeled and halved  2 carrots peeled and halved

Method o Preheat the oven to 170C. o Using a pestle and mortar crush the peeled garlic with the thyme, mint, rosemary and black pepper. Add a drizzle of oil and lemon zest. o Rub the mixture over the whole surface of the lamb. Lay the potatoes, onion and carrots on base of a roasting dish and rest the lamb on the vegetables. o Cover the lamb with tin foil. Roast in thy oven for 2 hours, or until cooked to your liking. o When cooked, remove the lamb to a tray to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. o Return the roasting dish to the heat add in a splash of red wine and using a wooden spoon stir removing everything from the tray into the liquid while breaking up the vegetables allowing them to thicken the gravy. Add 250ml of boiling water. o Add a tablespoon of tomato puree and allow simmering for 10 minutes. This is your gravy that just needs strained and poured over the freshly carved lamb.

Brian’s Tip: Any leftover lamb slice and fill some naan breads with mint yoghurt dip for evening snacks.

Lamb & Barley Hot Pot

Serves 6

Ingredients:

 600g Diced Lamb  2 Small Onions Diced  2 Sticks Celery thinly sliced  1 Carrots Diced  1 Parsnips Diced  3 Cloves Garlic  2 Bay Leaves  2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme  75g Barley  4 Medium Potatoes  Fresh Ground Pepper  1 Table Spoon Rapeseed Oil  500ml Vegetable Stock  Fresh Parsley

Method:

o Preheat Oven 170 °C o Cook the barley in boiling water for approx. 25 minutes. Drain and leave aside. Heat a casserole dish, add the oil and lightly colour the diced lamb. Add the garlic, onion, bay leaf and thyme then sweat for minutes on lower heat. 3

o Season with pepper and add the carrots, parsnips and celery and continue to cook for further minutes. Add the cooked barley followed by the warm stock. Cover with a lid & simmer for approx. 40 minutes or until lamb is tender. o While lamb is cooking peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Pan fry potatoes in rapeseed oil turning all the time. Season with pepper and fresh thyme. Arrange slices of potatoes on top of lamb and place in oven for 15 minutes.

Brian’s Top Tip:

Make using leftover cooked lamb from your Sunday roast or try replacing lamb with beef and add some Guinness

Champ

Serves 4

Ingredients

 1 Kg potatoes  100ml milk  75g cream  50g butter  pinch ground white  pinch nutmeg  6 Scallions washed and sliced

Method 4

o Wash and peel the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until soft. When potatoes are cooked, drain the cooking water off and return potatoes to the heat for 1 minute to evaporate further moisture. o In a separate saucepan melt the butter and scallions so they sweat and cook for 2 minutes then add the milk and cream and allow liquid to warm in temperature. o Season the potatoes with white ground pepper and nutmeg. Start to mash the potatoes and when mashed add in the liquid and return potatoes to the heat and continue to mash constantly until you have no lumps.

Brian’s Top Tip:

Turn any leftover Poundies into potato cakes by shaping and pan frying in butter.

Roasted Honey and Herb Vegetables

Serves 4 -6

Ingredients

 2 sweet potatoes  3 potatoes  2 carrots  2 parsnips  Half a butternut squash  2 red onions  4 shallots  4 cloves of garlic  2 Table Spoons rapeseed oil  2 sprigs of fresh thyme 5

 1 sprig of rosemary  Pinch of nutmeg  Twist of black pepper  50g of local honey

Method: o Place a large flat tray in a hot oven for 15 minutes at 200°c Peel and roughly cut the sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash and parsnips into thick cut chip style shapes. Place vegetables in a bowl and add the oil. Cut the red onions and shallots into wedges and chop the garlic Place vegetables in a bowl and add the oil , black pepper and nutmeg. Add the fresh rosemary and thyme and mix together. o Place the vegetables on to hot tray from the oven and you should hear the vegetables sizzle immediately. Quickly return to the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Shake the tray halfway through the cooking. o When cooked drizzle with some local honey and return to hot oven for 8 minutes.

Brian’s Tip: Use leftover vegetables in a wrap with some mozzarella and basil the following day

Wild Atlantic Way Fish Pie Serves 6

Ingredients

 350g Haddock Fillets  350g Smoked Haddock Fillets  50g Butter  50g Plain Flour  500ml Milk 6

 1 Bay Leaf  100g Cheese, keep it local  750g Potatoes cooked and mashed  Bunch spring onions  50g butter  2 cloves of garlic crushed  2 carrots peeled and diced  White of 1 leek sliced  4 sticks of celery diced  1 onion peeled and diced  50g Rapeseed Oil  Chopped Fresh Parsley  Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Method: o Melt 50g of Butter and sweat chopped spring onions and mix in through the mashed potato with a pinch of pepper. Place the smoked haddock and haddock fillets in a pot with bayleaf and cover with the milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 7 minutes. o Remove fish from the milk and place in tin foil to keep warm. Melt butter in saucepan and add flour to make a roux, then add the milk the fish was cooked in. season with pinch of pepper stirring all the time simmer the sauce until it thickens. Add the 50g of the grated cheese. Hold back remaining 50g for the top of the pie. o In the rapeseed oil sweat the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, leeks and celery until the vegetables are softened. o Place the fish and vegetables in an oven proof dish and pour over the sauce and gently combine everything together. Place a layer of mashed potato on top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake in pre heated oven at 200 degrees C for 40 minutes. o Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving and serve with chopped parsley on top.

Brian’s Tips. Use leftover cooked potatoes as they will work perfectly for this dish. Or if you wish cover the fish pie in pastry and bake.

Boxty Serves 8

Ingredients:

 1 KG Potatoes washed and peeled  320ml Buttermilk  160g Plain flour  10g Sugar  ¼ teaspoon bread soda  100g butter for frying

Method o Grate potatoes and place in a clean tea towel. Squeeze all the water out of the potatoes and place potatoes in a large bowl. o Immediately pour 270ml butter milk into the potato to prevent them from discolouring. Add the flour with the sugar and combine into the potato and buttermilk until you have a tick batter consistency. o Dissolve the bread soda in the remaining 50ml of buttermilk, add to the mix and combine well. o Heat a large frying pan and melt 50g of butter on a medium heat. Add 4 good spoonfuls of potato mix , leaving some space between them, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. o Repeat with the remaining of potato mix. o Serve with melted butter.

Brian’s Top Tip: Serve with grilled bacon and poached egg for one of the greatest breakfasts ever. Make a large one the size of a frying pan and top with eggs, tomato and honey.

Brian’s Garden Rhubarb Crumble Serves 4

Ingredients

 For the crumble:  150g Self Raising Flour  100g Butter Softened  50g Light Brown Sugar  50g Porridge Oats  500 Rhubarb washed and cut in chunks  100g Castor Sugar  1 Vanilla Pod

Method: o Preheat an oven to 200° C o For the crumble mix the flour and sugar together and rub in the softened butter to form a sandy crumble texture. Add the porridge oats and gently mix. o Spread the crumble out on a tray and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown, stirring the crumble half way through cooking. Once golden set aside to cool. o For the rhubarb simply add to a pot with the sugar and the seeds scrapped from inside of the vanilla pod or use a few drops of quality vanilla essence. Stew the rhubarb by simmering for approx 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before using. o Layer the rhubarb into a deep tray and scatter the crumble on top and place in oven for 10 minutes. Serve hot

Brian’s Tip; You have to serve this with custard and ice cream.