Lamb's Head is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of a lamb's head that's split open, cooked and served on top of mince made from the pluck (heart, liver and lungs) of a lamb. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Lamb's Head.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Lamb's Head that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé Francatelli's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 434.—LAMB'S HEAD.
See Sheep's Head, No. 423.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 prepared lamb's head
1 lamb's pluck (liver, lungs and heart)
2 carrots, scraped and chopped
2 onions, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 bunch of parsley, tied together
6 cloves
2 blades of mace
1 tsp allspice berries
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp parsley, chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
200g breadcrumbs
3 tbsp clarified butter, melted
4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
100g mushrooms, chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
1 dessert spoon Oude sauce
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
8 rashers of streaky bacon, stretched with the back of a knife, halved and fried until crisp
Method:
Obtain a prepared lamb's head and remove the brains. Steep he head in warm water to blanch and place the brains in cold water for 60 minutes.
Wash the components of the pluck thoroughly then place the head, lungs, liver and heart in a large pan with the carrot, onion, celery, parsley, cloves, mace, allspice and salt. Add enough thin stock or water to sufficiently cover all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook slowly for 90 minutes, or until all the ingredients are tender.
Remove the meats and set aside to keep warm. Strain the stock and skim off all the fat from the surface. Pour half the stock into a pan, bring to a boil and reduce to a thin glaze. Use the remaining stock to make a brown sauce.
Trim the two halves of the lamb's head and season with chopped parsley and shallot, salt and black pepper. Coat with the beaten eggs then cover with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle a little clarified butter over the cheeks then add another layer of breadcrumbs to the cheeks.
Place the head halves on a greased baking tray, transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Finely mince the liver, lungs and heart. When the glaze has reduced sufficiently add the mint then work in the parsley, mushrooms, shallots, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Stir in the Oude sauce and stir together until all the ingredients are hot.
Pile this mince in the centre of a serving dish and place the two halves of the head on top. Garnish the base with the bacon and serve accompanied by the gravy.
If desired, the brains can be boiled in a lightly-salted mix of water and vinegar for about 6 minutes to harden before being sliced and arranged between the two head halves.
