Ingredients:
- Hay.
- 125g soft butter.
- Several good sprigs of rosemary, marjoram & thyme.
- 2 garlic cloves crushed.
- 1 shoulder of lamb or mutton.
- Salt and pepper.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 220C/gas mark 7
- Choose a deep roasting tin, preferably with a lid, or if you do not have a lid you can use foil.
- Line it with hay 5-6cm deep.
- Put the soft butter in a bowl, add the chopped herbs, garlic, plenty of black pepper and a little salt and mix well.
- Smear in a thick and even layer over the meat.
- Place the meat in the nest of hay and cover with more hay.
- Cover with the lid or a double layer of foil.
- Make sure there are no bits of hay poking out.
- Bake in the centre of the ovenfor 2-2½ hours depending on the size of the joint.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 20 mins.
- Scrape off the blackened hay and carve as normal.
We followed this recipe one Sunday for lamb baked in hay. It was a triumph. If anyone would like to try this, ask for shoulder bone in and some hay on the comments part of the internet order form.
Courtesy of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.
