Ingredients

Serves 4

500g lamb neck
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
Salt
Pepper
250ml lamb jus
½ cup red wine
2 large carrots
50g butter
8 shallots
100g sugar
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 sheet puff pastry

Method

Fry the lamb neck pieces in a heavy based pan until golden remove and reserve.

Peel and dice one carrot, celery and onion, crush the garlic and caramelize until golden.

Add the lamb pieces back into the pan and throw in the thyme, bay leaves, a good pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly milled pepper.
Deglaze with a good slouch of red wine and reduce by half.


Add the lamb stock and bring to the boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and place into a slow oven at 180°C for 2hrs or 80°C for 12hrs. When the lamb is tender, remove from the liquid and reserve.

Strain and reduce the stock until you achieve a good lamb flavour- not too sticky but with enough body to coat the back of a spoon.

Peel and grate two carrots, place into a pot with the butter and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Place over a gentle heat and cook down slowly under a lid, stirring regularly. When soft blend in a food processor until smooth.
Peel the shallots and remove the top to create a flat edge but ensure the root is intact. Place into a small pan so they are fairly close together and add a dollop of butter.

Place into a slow oven until they have softened and caramelized. Remove, drain the butter away and add a sprinkle of sugar. Caramelize and add the sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan. Reduce.
Place the shallots into little ramekins cut surface down. Pour over the glaze and top with a square of puff pastry. Bake at 180°C until golden.

Serve the lamb with the carrot puree and shallot tart, drizzled with a little jus.