Dinner Party

Ingredients (6 portions)

• 2.2 kg bone-in lamb shoulder
• 4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked, plus extra sprigs for the tin
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 onions, thickly sliced
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 cube lamb or vegetable stock cube
• 400 ml hot water for the tin
• 1.2 kg waxy potatoes (such as Désirée or Charlotte), peeled and sliced 3 mm thick
• 300 ml double cream
• 200 ml whole milk
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed (for the dauphinoise)
• 25 g butter, for the dish
• 60 g Gruyère or Cheddar cheese, grated
• 600 g green beans, trimmed
• 20 g butter, for the beans
• 1 tbsp plain flour, for the gravy

Plan of attack

Times are counted from when the lamb goes in (0:00), assuming dinner is served about 4 hours 40 minutes later. Adjust to suit your guests.

Method

1. Prepare the lamb: heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Take the lamb out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Make deep cuts all over it with a sharp knife and push in the slivers of garlic and a few rosemary leaves. Rub with the oil, salt and pepper.
2. Put the sliced onions and the rosemary sprigs in the middle of a large roasting tin, sit the lamb on top, and squeeze the lemon halves over (leave them in the tin).
3. 0:00 Roast for 20 minutes to brown the outside. Dissolve the stock cube in 400 ml of boiling water and pour it around the lamb (not over it). Cover the whole tin tightly with foil, turn the oven down to 150°C (130°C fan), and roast for 3 hours 30 minutes, without opening it, until the meat is falling off the bone.
4. 2:30 Make the dauphinoise: butter a large baking dish (about 30 x 20 cm). Heat the cream, milk and crushed garlic in a pan until just steaming, with plenty of pepper and a little salt. Layer the sliced potatoes in the dish, pouring over some of the cream mixture between layers, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Pour over the rest and cover tightly with foil.
5. 2:45 Put the dauphinoise in the oven beside the lamb and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Take off the foil, sprinkle with the cheese and bake for another 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling, and a knife slides through the potato easily.
6. 3:50 Take the foil off the lamb and turn the oven up to 200°C (180°C fan). Roast for 20 to 25 minutes to colour the top, while the potatoes finish.
7. 4:15 Lift the lamb onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 20 minutes. Keep the dauphinoise warm in the switched-off oven.
8. The gravy: strain the juices from the tin into a jug and skim off the fat. Put 3 tbsp of the fat back in the tin, stir in the flour for 1 minute, then add the juices gradually, simmering for 5 minutes. Season and strain into a warm jug.
9. The beans: boil the beans in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, drain and toss with the butter and a little pepper.
10. Pull the lamb into large chunks with two forks (it will fall apart) and serve with the dauphinoise, green beans and gravy.

Swaps

A half-leg of lamb (shorter cooking time: about 2 hours). New potatoes and mint sauce in place of the dauphinoise. Roast carrots and parsnips in place of the green beans.

Ingredients (6 portions)

• 4 egg whites (at room temperature)
• 225 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 50 g butter, for the toffee sauce
• 75 g light brown soft sugar, for the toffee sauce
• 100 ml double cream, for the toffee sauce
• 400 ml double cream, whipped, for the topping
• 3 ripe bananas, sliced
• 40 g pecans or hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper and draw a 20 cm circle on it with a pencil, then turn the paper over.
2. Whisk the egg whites in a very clean, grease-free bowl with an electric whisk until they form stiff peaks that hold when you turn the bowl upside down. Add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking for a few seconds between each, until the meringue is thick and glossy and no grains of sugar can be felt between your fingers. This takes about 8 minutes.
3. Whisk in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla. Spoon the meringue into the circle, building up the edges and making a slight dip in the middle.
4. Put it in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 120°C (100°C fan). Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the outside is crisp and pale. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside with the door shut until it is completely cool (at least 2 hours, or overnight).
5. The sauce: put the 50 g of butter, 75 g of sugar and 100 ml of cream in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 3 minutes, until thick. Leave to cool.
6. Assemble: slide the meringue onto a serving plate (peel off the paper). Whip the 400 ml of cream to soft peaks and pile it on top. Arrange the sliced bananas over the cream, drizzle with the toffee sauce and scatter the toasted nuts over the top. Serve straight away, cutting with a serrated knife.

Swaps

Raspberries, passion fruit or mango in place of the bananas and toffee. A spoonful of lemon curd folded into the cream. Individual meringue nests for easier serving.