Niklas Ekstedt's grilled lamb saddle

This comforting and warming recipe is by Niklas Ekstedt, the Swedish head chef and owner at Ekstedt at The Yard. He is one of the most renowned names within Nordic cuisine, and known globally as the "godfather of wood-fired cooking".

Ingredients:

• 700g lamb saddle on the bone.
• 1 savoy cabbage
• 1 apple
• 30g fennel seeds
• 2 egg yolks
• 10g black garlic
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tsp vinegar
• salt
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 10 leaf nettles
• 500ml oil for deep fryer

Utensils:

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• Grill, charcoal
• Deep fryer
• Kitchen thermometer

Method:

• Start to fire the grill, ensuring you give it enough time to build up heat before you begin cooking.
• Once the grill has embers, place the lamb saddle skin side down on the grill, covering with a lid if you have one. Check the lamb after 5 minutes, turning over and cooking for another 5 minutes. Continue to grill, turning the meat until the inside temperature is 48 degrees. Once the lamb has reached this temperature, remove from the grill and leave to rest in a warm spot (trying not to lose too much heat) so that the core temperature reaches 56 degrees. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes so that the lamb stays juicy and tasty.
• While the lamb is resting, prepare the black garlic mayonnaise. In a medium size bowl, add garlic cloves, egg yolk, salt, mustard, vinegar and whisk together (the garlic is soft so it will blend). Add oil very slowly while whisking, starting off slow with just a drop at a time until the mixture starts to thicken. Then, you can add the oil in a slow stream. If the mayonnaise becomes too thick simply thin with a little bit of water. Set aside.
• For the deep-fried nettles, warm up the oil in a deep saucepan until it reaches 145-150 degrees. Once at this temperature, dip the nettles in the oil before placing in the fire for a few seconds – swiftly removing once they get glossy. Place them gently on a paper towel so they do not break.
• Prepare the savoy cabbage by removing the outer leaf and placing a small plate on top to flatten, cutting around the plate to create a circle shape. Blanch the leaf in boiling water for a few seconds, before placing in ice water to cool.
• Thinly slice the rest of the cabbage, and cook it in a pan with oil until soft. Once soft, mix in the diced apple and fennel seeds and remove from the heat.
• To serve, place the cabbage leaf on a plate and fill half of the circle with the fried cabbage and apple, folding over the other half of the leaf to create a filled half-moon. Top with the black garlic mayonnaise and the fried nettles before placing the lamb beside it.

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