Rolled & Stuffed Lamb Breast

Serves 4
Takes 2^1/2 hours

This is a good use of a frequently overlooked cut. There is not a huge amount of meat on the breast but it is flavoursome and, when slow-cooked, the fat runs from the meat. This is the perfect cut for students: when Tim first left home and lived on his own, he would buy a breast of lamb, lie it over a bed of potatoes and parsnips and slow roast it for up to four hours. It provided supper for two days and then soup on the third.

1. Preheat the oven to 170^oC/325^oC/gas mark 3. Heat the oil in a fry pan, add the onion and garlic and soften.  Tip in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, then add the spinach to wilt. Leave to cool, then mix in the cheddar, egg and seasoning.
2. Lie the lamb skin side down on a large sheet of kitchen foil, spread evenly with stuffing, then tightly roll up the breast and wrap in the foil, twisting each end to seal. Place the bones and the lamb in a roasting tin and roast for 1^1/2 hours, then remove the bones.
3. Place the bones in a shallow saucepan and just cover with water. Cover, bring to a boil and then simmer for 35 minutes. Strain. Meanwhile, roast the meat for a further 30 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven and discard the foil, but keep the cooking juices.
4. Add the flour to the roasting tin and mix well, place over a medium-high heat and slowly pour in the roasted bone stock, mixing until smooth. Add the Redcurrant jelly and wine, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Carve the lamb and serve with the sauce.

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed, then peeled
175g (6oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
175g (6oz) spinach, finely chopped
140g (4oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 breast of lamb, keep the bone
1tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp Redcurrant jelly
100ml (3^1/2 fl oz) red wine