James Martin’s lamb with Stilton gnocchi: A bold twist on a classic pairing

Why settle for Parmesan when you can go bold with Stilton? James Martin elevates gnocchi with punchy cheese, herb-crusted lamb, and a buttery mint sauce for a dish that’s rich, hearty, and perfect for impressing guests

Lauren Taylor
Tuesday 19 November 2024 06:00 GMT
Comments
A comforting, indulgent dish for winter
A comforting, indulgent dish for winter

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Adding cheese to gnocchi is a great way to bring another layer of flavour to a dish and, instead of the more usual Parmesan, I’ve gone for a punchier Stilton,” says chef James Martin. “This stands up well to the herb-crusted lamb and it’s all brought together with a buttery, herb sauce.”

Lamb with Stilton gnocchi

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

25g flaked almonds, chopped

Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 lamb loins (about 600g)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the gnocchi:

500g cooked potato, riced

125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

75g Stilton, crumbled

2 egg yolks

For the sauce:

25g butter

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 small bunch of mint, chopped

1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 tbsp capers

To garnish:

1 small bunch of mint, chopped

1 tbsp small capers

Method:

‘Cheese’ is Martin’s third single-ingredient cookbook
‘Cheese’ is Martin’s third single-ingredient cookbook (Quadrille)

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Mix the parsley, almonds, lemon and garlic together and spread all over the centre of the lamb loin. Season. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, to make the gnocchi, mix all the ingredients together and season.

3. Then roll into 20cm long sausages, 2cm thick, using a little extra flour. Cut into 3cm pieces, then plunge into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain.

4. To make the sauce, heat a large frying pan until hot, then add the butter and, when foaming, add the garlic, mint, parsley, capers and gnocchi and stir through. Season.

5. To serve, spoon the gnocchi and sauce onto four plates. Slice the lamb and serve alongside. Garnish with mint and capers.

‘Cheese’ by James Martin (Quadrille, £25).

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in