Lamb patties

Lady Claire MacDonald: Chef

Ingredients:

About 1½lbs / 675g leftover roast lamb, trimmed of any fat or gristle and briefly minced in a food processor
6 tbsps olive oil
2 onions, skinned and finely diced
1 fat clove of garlic, skinned and finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsps Worcester sauce
About 1½lbs / 675g potatoes, weighed when peeled, boiled, drained and steamed, then very well mashed and beaten, once mashed, with a wooden spoon
2 tbsps finely chopped parsley
4tbsps flour, sieved onto a plate
1tsp salt
A good grinding - no less than 15 grinds - of black pepper

Method:

In a sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the diced onions until very soft.

Add the finely chopped garlic and cook very briefly.

Take the pan off the heat, tip the contents into a large bowl and, when quite cooled, mix in the minced or minced lamb, tomato puree and Worcester sauce, mixing all very thoroughly. Then mix in the mashed potatoes and chopped parsley, again, mixing very thoroughly - you may find this easiest done with your hand.

Divide the mixture into even sized balls, about the size of a golf ball. With the palm of your hand flatten each into a patty shape. Dip each patty into seasoned flour.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan and, when very hot, fry the lamb patties trying not to move them around in the sauté pan.

After about 45 - 50 seconds, turn over each patty and fry on its other side for the same length of time.

Put the fried patties onto a large, warmed plate lined with a couple of thicknesses of kitchen paper, to absorb excess olive oil.

Serve: