Hogget, Baby Gem, Peas by Scott Smith

Ingredients

1kg hogget neck (on the bone)
25g sea salt
1 Large baby gem
1 tbsp butter
50g crowdie cheese
100ml lamb stock
350g fresh peas
50g spinach
50g butter
Oil for cooking

Method

Hogget:
- Salt the hogget and leave in the fridge for a few hours. Bring out of the fridge, rinse the salt off and pat dry.
- Sear off in a hot frying pan with a little oil
- Tightly cover the hogget in foil and roast in the over 180 degrees C for 3 hrs, basting regularly
- Remove from the oven and pick the meat off, mix with the cooking juice
Baby Gem:
- Cut the gem in half lengthways
- Heat the butter on medium heat and cook the gem cut-face down until golden brown. Remove from the pan
- Tuck the hogget meat into the layers of the gem
Pea puree:
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, drop in 300g of peas in for 2 minutes and then put them in a blender. Blend on full speed until smooth, add a little of the water as needed.
- Add the butter at the end the pass the puree through a sieve. Keep warm.
To plate:
- Warm the stuffed gem halves in an over 180 degrees C for 5 minutes with the lamb stock
- Spoon the pea puree in the middle of a plate, put the gem half on top
- Top with crowdie and remaining raw peas
- Serve immediately

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