Spiced lamb meatball, shallot, asparagus, bread and mint salad

Oliver Rowe, chef proprietor of Konstam Cafe and Konstam at the Prince Albert, King’s Cross is a leading London chef and a champion for sustainability. His restaurant only serves food that has been sourced within the city.

"I had some minced offcuts of lamb leftover in the restaurant a while ago and this is a version of the recipe we came up with. They’ve been a favourite ever since. It uses what are, in my mind anyway, particularly ‘British’ spices such as mace and juniper berries. Currants give it a lift, and make it juicier, absorbing moisture whilst cooking. This kind of salad is excellent for using up odds and ends in the fridge or store cupboard too.

Download Oliver Rowe’s Spiced lamb meatball recipe - PDF (265k)

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 500g of minced lamb offcuts

• Quarter medium onion, minced

• Quarter tsp ground mace

• Quarter tsp ground allspice

• Quarter teaspoon crushed juniper berries

• A good pinch cayenne pepper

• Half tsp picked and chopped fresh thyme leaves

• One heaped tbsp breadcrumbs

• One heaped tbsp dried currants

• One egg

• Salt and pepper

For the rest:

• Four slices or about 250g of leftover sourdough or other bread, the nicer the better

• One and a half tbsp melted butter

• Half glass of white wine

• One cup of chicken stock

• Half bunch of asparagus (later in the year, substitute with broad beans) blanched and cut into one-inch chunks

• One large shallot, cut in half then thinly sliced lengthwise

• Two tablespoons of vinaigrette (this can be whatever is kicking around in the fridge)

• A handful of flat parsley leaves, very roughly chopped (one stick of celery, finely diced, and one large leftover potato, cubed, if available)

Method

Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl. Fry off a little of the mixture to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary, then roll out into 60 gram balls.

Fry the meatballs in a little oil over a medium heat until golden brown on at least two sides in a large oven proof dish or frying pan, then place in a medium oven (150°C) and bake until just firm or about ten minutes. Remove from oven and set aside in the cooking pan.

Whilst the meatballs are cooking and resting, tear the bread into chunks and toss with the butter, season and place in the same oven as the lamb. Toast until golden brown at the edges but still a little soft in the middle – not super dry like rusks. Remove from the oven.

When the meatballs have rested in the cooking pan for five minutes or so and are still warm, but have released some liquid, remove them to a large salad bowl. Return the lamb cooking pan to the heat, deglaze it on a high heat with the white wine, and the stock 20 seconds later, then boil hard to reduce until the liquid has started to thicken.

Put the bread in with meatballs, add the juice, and toss them together with the asparagus, the vinaigrette, the potato, celery and shallot. Leave to rest for a few minutes, check the seasoning, and lightly toss in the parsley and serve."