Minted Hogget Meatballs with Peas & Goat's Curd

Minted Hogget Meatballs with Peas & Goat's Curd

The lamb season is over, it's now the time when British hogget comes into its own. Hogget is a sheep aged between one and two years old. With an older animal that has had more time to graze diverse pastures and put some mileage on the clock, you get a real ovine flavour. For me, hogget is the best example of a pasture-raised sheep.

The most important point to note, however, is that from March/April British lamb is totally out of season — crazy when almost all of us associate the Easter feast with a plate of roast lamb in some form or other. What will be sold on supermarket shelves is imported and will have been wrapped in plastic for its journey, in order to 'mature'. This is a million miles, quite literally, from a British pastured hogget that has been hung on the bone to dry-age.

Ingredients

Spring · Serves 2

  • a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 small

    onion, finely chopped

  • 2

    garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 500g (1lb 2oz)

    hogget mince

  • a small bunch

    parsley, finely chopped

  • a small bunch

    mint, leaves picked and finely chopped

  • 25g (1oz)

    breadcrumbs

  • ½ tsp

    chilli flakes

  • 1

    egg, beaten

  • flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • For the sauce

    a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

  • 2

    garlic cloves, finely sliced

  • 200ml (7fl oz)

    chicken stock

  • grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon

  • 120g (4¼oz)

    peas, fresh or frozen

  • 4

    spring onions, chopped

  • To finish

    100g (3½oz)

    goat's curd

  • a small bunch

    mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped

  • a small bunch

    parsley, stalks removed and roughly chopped

  • grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

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Buy available ingredients

Mr Organic, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 100% Italian

Mr Organic, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 100% Italian

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Mr Organic, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 100% Italian

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Method

Place a cast-iron pan over a medium heat and drizzle in a little olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and cook gently until both have softened, about 6–7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the mince, herbs, breadcrumbs, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper with the cooled onions and garlic. Add the egg and mix well to thoroughly combine. Shape the mixture into golfball-sized meatballs.

Place a cast-iron pan over a medium heat, drizzle in a little more oil and fry off the meatballs, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Once browned on all sides, remove the meatballs from the pan and set to one side.

For the sauce, add a little more oil to the same pan along with the garlic and sizzle gently. Increase the heat, add the chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, then add the lemon zest. Once the stock is bubbling, return the browned meatballs to the pan and simmer for around 8–10 minutes. Tip in the peas and spring onions and cook for around 1–2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

To finish the dish, dollop in generous spoonfuls of creamy goat's curd, scatter over the chopped herbs and a little lemon zest and juice. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.
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