Free Good Cook by Simon Hopkinson

fewer.
    Preheat the oven to 325°F.
    Season the lamb well on all surfaces. Melt the dripping/oil in a large, roomy, lidded pot until hot. Lay in the lamb breast, turn down the heat a little and color well on all sides, until golden brown. Lift out the meat and remove all fat from the pot with a spoon. Tip in half the onions, then return the lamb to the pot and push it down into them. Pop in the bay leaves and cover with the rest of the onions.
    Now, take a sheet of parchment paper and cut it into a circle slightly bigger than the diameter of the pot lid. Dampen it, lightly grease one side, and lightly press it over the onions (greased side down), while also against the side of the pot. This effects a kind of baffle over the lamb and onions, so that steam and juices stay intact, producing a moist and more flavorful result (in professional kitchens, this paper covering is known as a “cartouche”). Put on the lid, slide the pot into the oven and leave there for 1 hour.
    Have a peek in the pot, now, and see how the onions are doing; they should be starting to collapse. Don’t disturb them too much, but maybe scrape some down the side of the pot where they may have stuck a bit. You should, however, be able to see some of the natural juices of the onions seeping out and moistening the assembly. Replace the paper and lid, return the pot to the oven and continue to cook for a further hour. Note: if there are plenty of juices already visible at this stage, turn the oven down to 300°F.
    After 2 hours’ cooking, the onions should now almost be swimming in juices. Push a skewer into the lamb to see how tender it is; there should be little resistance. Lift out the meat, put it into a small roasting pan and cover with foil. Turn down the oven again to 275°F, and return the meat to the oven while you deal with the onions.
    Remove the bay leaves. You will notice that a fair amount of fat has accumulated on the surface (lamb breast is a naturally fatty cut), so remove almost all of this with a few sheets of paper towels. Now, stir in the vinegar and anchovy essence, place the pot over a high heat and bring the onions and their juices to a simmer. Quietly reduce this mixture, stirring occasionally until sticky and beginning to become a deliciously unctuous mass; if you have ever made French onion soup, think of the early process of making that.
    To finish the dish, check for seasoning; you should not need any extra salt, due to the anchovy essence, but I would always add more pepper at this stage as I like the dish quite so. Finally, stir in the parsley. Remove the lamb from the oven (if any meaty juices have seeped from the resting lamb, add them to the onions), cut off the strings and thickly slice the meat. Arrange the slices on a hot serving dish and pile the onions alongside. Mashed potatoes, anyone?

leftover cold breast of lamb, sliced, then breadcrumbed & fried till crisp, with garlic mayonnaise
    serves 2
    for the garlic mayonnaise
    2 egg yolks
    2 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste with a little sea salt
    freshly ground white pepper
    10–12 oz olive oil, not too strong in flavor, but of good quality (if you find just olive oil too overpowering, use half olive oil and half sunflower oil, say)
    lemon juice, to taste
    flour
    beaten egg
    dry breadcrumbs
    dripping or oil, for frying
    4 slices of cold, leftover cooked lamb breast (see previous recipe)
    salt and freshly ground white pepper
    Although I have removed the garlic from the braise in the previous dish, I feel moved to put it back into this very nice leftover. There is something so delicious about partnering meat that is crusted on the outside, while soft, a little fatty and moist on the inside, with a rich, emulsified and oily sauce. I’m telling you, it works really, really well.
    Note: if you wish, use an electric handheld beater for ease when making the mayonnaise.
    First, to make the garlic mayonnaise, place the egg yolks in a bowl with the garlic and pepper. Beginning