Corned Beef Hash

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35-45 minutes


Ingredients:

• Tin of best corned beef (don't buy cheap or it will be fatty)
• large onion
• tin of chopped tomatoes
• beef oxo (no water, or very little depending on quantities)
• mixed herbs (to taste)
• seasoning (to taste)
• mashed potato (frozen Auntie Bessies works well)
• grated cheese

Method:

• Fry onions until soft
• Place onions in an oven proof dish (lasagne type)
• Add tin of corn beef chopped into bite sized bits.
• Add herbs and seasoning
• Add chopped tomatoes and and stir in crumbled beef stock cube.
• Cover with foil and cook in a hot oven for about 15 minutes or until the corned beef has softened.
• Meanwhile cook potatoes and mash
• Place potatoes on top of corned beef mix as for Cottage Pie, and sprinkle with grated chees.
• Cook in oven until brown and crispy.

Additional, optional extras:

• add chopped carrots, or peas, or any other vegetable. If you like your veg crispy (and you know who you are) then don't cook it first. If not, then add to pan with onions.
• Add Worcester Sauce.
• Add garlic

O'Sullivan's Baked Lamb Chops

"Baking lamb chops?!?!?" I hear you cry. Well yes, I had my reservations too, but these are spectacular. Credit goes to Brendan O'Sullivan who is responsible for my enlightenment.

Cooking time: 1.30 - 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 3 lamb chops per person
• Some King Edward spuds
• A few carrots
• A broccoli
• A decent full bodied red wine (mulled wine is also recommended)
• Rosemary
• Garlic

Chops Phase 1

• Find a roasting dish that accommodates your chops fairly snugly
• If using fresh rosemary put this under the chops, if not then rub some dried stuff into the meat (a bit of "Lamb Seasoning" spice mix is also nice)
• Position half a dozen bits of garlic in the spaces between chops
• Pour in half an inch of the wine - you want to almost submerge the chops (hence why you should use a snug tin)
• Cover with tin foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 45mins to an hour.

Roast Potatoes

• Peel and halve the spuds
• Boil the blighters for 10 minutes - no longer or they will break up
• When ready tip them into a colander and flip them them up a bit to fluff up the outsides
• Cover a flat baking tray with foil and liberally coat with goose fat (yes, I suppose butter will do)
• Spread the fluffy tatties across the tray and drizzle a little olive oil over them.
• Season them and whack them in the oven. I find they take about an hour, maybe a bit more. If you find they are done before the chops just close up the tin foil.

Chops Phase 2

• After being in the oven for 45 mins to 1 hour take out the chops and pout the liquid and garlics into a suitable container and put it into the fridge to cool. We will later be using this for the gravy.
• Now, peel and chop the carrots into 1 inch thick segments and arrange them in the roasting tin. You then need to balance each chop on 2-3 bits of carrot and return to the oven for 30-45 minutes. This will crisp them up an absolute treat. NOTE: This may result in crunchy carrots, so if you like them soft (you know who you are) then you might want to microwave them for 2 minutes first.
• Check your chops half way through this phase and turn them.

The Gravy

• When there is about 5 minutes to go take the liquid out of the fridge and spoon off a bit of the fat that will have risen to the top.
• pour the rest into a small pan and add a bit of arrowroot to thicken it up (or cornflour mixed with water, but arrowroot is flavourless).
• Mash the roasted garlics up and then strain the liquid through a sieve.

To Serve

• Microwave the broccoli for 2 minutes 30 secs
• Arrange it on a plate with the spuds and carrots and chops
• Spoon over a bit of the gravy
• Decide never to grill chops again