Mr Wilkinson’s Favourite vegetables

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‘Shepherd’S pie’ croquetteS

1 x 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) boneless lamb forequarter shoulder

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 small turnip, peeled and diced

1 white onion, quartered

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) mashed potato (with nothing added but make sure it is still warm)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

4 tablespoons melted duck fat, cooled to room temperature (or olive oil)

1 cup chopped flat-leaf (italian) parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

45 ml (11/2 fl oz) sherry vinegar

Crumb

100 g (31/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

8 free-range or organic eggs, lightly beaten

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) fresh breadcrumbs (made from 2 loaves of crustless white bread)

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Okay, so it ain’t literally a shepherd’s pie but all the ingredients are what you would

put into one. Cooking lamb shoulder slowly in a slow cooker is a great way to make the most

of this cut. The croquettes make a lovely canapé, snack or side for a main of lamb, of course.

However, they are a little time consuming so don’t try them when you get home

from work — give ’em a go on your day off instead.

Ma k e s 3 0 – 5 0 ( d e p e n d i n g

o n y o u r p r e f e r r e d s i z e )

Place the lamb shoulder, carrot, turnip and onion in a slow cooker and cover with water. Cook on high

for 7 hours. Once cooked, cool slightly, then take out the meat and shred into a bowl. Strain through a

sieve, discarding the cooking liquid. Add the vegetables to the bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients,

then shape about 1/4 cup of the mixture into croquettes. This will make 30 or you could make them a bit

smaller to yield 50.

To crumb, place the flour, eggs and 100 g (31/2 oz/12/3 cups) of the breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Dip a

croquette into the flour, then into the egg, then the breadcrumbs and place on a tray. Repeat with the

remaining croquettes, topping up the breadcrumbs as needed as they get a bit messy from the egg. After

you have crumbed all the croquettes, repeat dipping in the egg and breadcrumbs again so they are double

crumbed.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 180°C (350°F) or in a deep saucepan (no more than one-third full) and deep-fry

the croquettes, in batches, for 2–3 minutes or until golden and hot on the inside. Sprinkle with salt (or herb

salt, see page 279) and serve straight away.