Lamb Backstrap with Black Garlic Sauce

Serves 4

Black Garlic Sauce

• 300g small beef bones
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
• 1 small brown onion, trimmed, quartered
• 2 Swiss brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 sprig thyme
• 50g honey
• 25ml sherry vinegar
• 2 tsp black garlic, husked and pushed through mesh sieve
• ¼ tsp charcoal powder
• pinch xanthan gum
• to taste sea salt and black pepper

Roasted Beetroot

• 2 medium beetroots, washed, stems removed
• 20ml red wine vinegar, to taste
• to taste sea salt and black pepper

Pickled Beetroot

• 2 baby target beetroots
• 100ml white wine vinegar
• 100g caster sugar
• 100ml water
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds

Cauliflower Puree

• 1 small cauliflower
• 200g unsalted butter
• salt

Crispy Kale

• 2 leaves Tuscan kale, thick stems removed, chopped into large pieces
• salt
• oil, for deep frying

Lamb Backstraps with Thyme Butter

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lamb backstraps
• 50g butter
• 8 sprigs thyme
• 2 garlic cloves

To Garnish - baby red vein sorrel leaves

• Preheat oven to 250C.
• For the Black Garlic Sauce, place the beef bones, carrot, celery, onion, mushrooms and thyme into a deep flame proof roasting dish. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast until browned for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place onto the stovetop. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C.
• Add 1 litre water into the roasting dish. Bring to the boil and simmer on high for 30-40 minutes until liquid has reduced by half.
• Meanwhile, place a small saucepan over medium high heat and cook honey until deep amber in colour. Remove pan from heat, carefully whisk in the vinegar. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed.
• Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a saucepan and simmer until reduced to about 150-200ml liquid. Add the black garlic and whisk well to incorporate. Add the charcoal powder and whisk until fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and strain the sauce into a blender. Add a pinch xanthan gum and process on high speed until smooth. Pour into saucepan, cover and set aside. Reheat gently to serve.
• For the Roasted Beetroot, place a wire rack into a deep oven proof dish and fill with water until it reaches just below the rack. Place the whole beetroots onto the rack and cover with baking paper. Tightly cover with foil. Cook until tender and the skins easily slip off when you pinch the beetroots, about 90 minutes. Top up with more water if required.
• Remove from the oven and while hot, use a triple layer of paper towel to gently rub the beetroot to remove the skin. Cut each beetroot into 6 wedges and place in a bowl. Season with red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and set aside in a warm place.
• For the Cauliflower Puree, chop cauliflower into florets and add to a saucepan of boiling salted water. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Strain off water then add the butter and place over medium high heat. Cook until cauliflower is golden brown, stirring regularly. Once caramelised at to a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Push through a strainer and set aside for service.
• For the Pickled Beetroot, thoroughly wash and trim the beetroots. Using a mandolin, slice the beetroots lengthways into 1-2mm thick slices and place into a heat proof dish.
• Place the remaining ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and bring to the boil.
• Remove from the heat and pour through a small fine strainer over the beetroot slices. Cover with foil and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Once cool, drain, place in a serving container and set aside for service.
• For the Crispy Kale, heat the oil in the deep fryer to 180C.
• Ensure the kale is dry then fry in the hot oil until crisp and water has stopped evaporating from the leaves, about 30 seconds. Remove from the oil and place onto paper towel. Season to taste with sea salt flakes. Set aside.
• For the Lamb Backstrap with Thyme Butter, heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add the lamb and season well. Cook on each side for 3 -4 minutes. Add the butter, thyme and garlic. Use a spoon to baste the butter over the lamb for a further minute or until cooked to your liking. Remove from heat, rest for 3 minutes before carving.
• To serve, spoon Cauliflower Puree onto serving plates. Top with lamb slices, Roasted Beetroot, Pickled Beetroot, Crispy Kale and some Black Garlic Sauce. Garnish with sorrel leaves.