Method

Chef: Alastair McLeod

1. Marinate lamb in olive oil with thyme and garlic and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, quarter half of the Jerusalem artichokes in their skins and boil in salted water with some thyme sprigs and lemon slices until almost cooked. Drain well.

2. Trim mushrooms, toss together then sauté in a little olive oil and half of the butter with the par cooked artichoke pieces. When cooked and golden, stir in tomato dice and parsley. Season and keep warm.

3. Peel remaining artichokes, dice and cover with cream. Cook gently until tender, drain and blend until smooth.

4. Season lamb loins then place into preheated pan with marinade. Cook for 3 minutes per side.
Once cooked, deglaze with balsamic vinegar and remove pan from heat. Allow lamb to rest in the pan.

5. To present, spoon the artichoke cream onto the plate. Place a generous spoonful of mushroom/artichoke mixture on top. Carve lamb and arrange on top.

Notes
Allow the lamb to rest for half of the cooking time. In other words, if the lamb cooks for 6 minutes, rest for 3 minutes. This allows the meat to relax and ensures the juice don’t run when it is cut.

Anything you do with potatoes you can do with Jerusalem artichokes - a personal favourite is to bake the 'chokes' on a bed of rock salt then, once cooked, make a small indentation in the top, fill with crème fraîche and top with caviar as a unique canapé.

*  This information was sourced from '9am with David and Kim'