Stuffed Loin of Lamb with Smoked Bacon, Basil, and Mushroom
Rare lamb loin and fillet are rolled with bacon, basil, and duxelles in puff pastry. The slices are served on discs of turnip and potato gratin and sauced with reduced lamb stock. The bacon adds a smoky note -- and moisture -- to the lamb rolls.
Ingredients
- Loin and fillet of lamb - 1
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Smoked Bacon - 6 strips, dry-cured, smoked
- Basil leaves - 12 to 15 large
- Duxelles
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Shallots - 2, minced
- Button or mixed mushrooms - 6 ounces, finely chopped
- Dry white wine - 3 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Heavy (whipping) cream - Turnip and Potato Gratin
- Turnip and Potato Gratin
- Turnip - 1 small, thinly sliced
- Large Potatoes - 6, thinly sliced
- Marjoram - 1 sprig, stemmed and minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/2 pint
- Egg - 1
- Cool Water - 2 tablespoons
- Puff Pastry - 1 sheet
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons, melted
- Lamb Sauce
- Lamb stock - marjoram
- Marjoram Sprigs - 1
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons, cut into small chunks
- Marjoram Sprigs - 6, small
Instructions
Trim the lamb loin of any fat. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over high heat and sear the loin for one minute on all sides, until the outer surface is browned. Set aside off the heat.
Spread a work surface with plastic wrap. Place four parallel strips of bacon across the plastic, then cross them with two more strips lengthwise. Line the bacon with basil leaves. Place the loin across the leaves and put the fillet against the loin. Wrap the bacon strips around the loin and fillet, encasing the basil leaves. Wrap in the plastic wrap to make a cylinder and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
To make the duxelles: Put the butter and shallots in a saute pan over medium heat and saute until softened. Add the mushrooms, and wine; season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until nearly all the moisture has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and continue to cook until the mixture is quite thick and holds its shape. Set aside.
To prepare the turnip and potato gratin: Preheat the oven to 300 F. Peel the vegetables and cut into very thin discs. Overlap the turnip and potato discs in a baking pan, sprinkling with marjoram as you go. The vegetables should be about 1/2 inch deep. Season with salt and pepper, and cover with cream. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until tender throughout. Remove and keep warm.
To finish the lamb roll: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix the egg and cool water to form egg wash. Set aside. Roll out the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface. Brush the entire sheet with melted butter. Spread the center with the duxelles. Unwrap the lamb roll and place on the duxelles. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up the pastry sheet, trimming the excess so that there are no doubled layers of pastry. Brush all over with egg wash.
Brush an ovenproof saute pan or skillet with melted butter and put the lamb roll in the pan. Brown over medium-high heat on all sides, then place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to rest for 10 minutes; reduce oven heat to 300 F. Put the lamb roll back into the oven and cook 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the loin and personal preference for doneness. Remove and let rest 5 minutes.
To prepare the sauce; Cook the lamb stock and marjoram sprig over medium-high heat until reduced in half by volume. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve lined with cheesecloth. Whisk the butter into the reduced sauce, one piece at a time.
To serve: Cut six 4-inch circles from the turnip-potato gratin and place one on each warmed serving plate. Using an electric knife, trim the ends from the lamb roll, then cut into six slices. Place one slice on each gratin circle. Spoon lamb jus around the plates. Tuck a sprig of marjoram into the duxelles in each lamb roll.
