This St Andrew’s Day, get ready to enjoy a new tradition at your table with the mouth-watering Scotch Lamb Muckle Pie from Make it Scotch.
Make it Scotch, the consumer-focused arm of Quality Meat Scotland that champions the Scotch Lamb brand, has teamed up with Derek Johnstone, Head Chef at Archerfield and former BBC Masterchef winner, to create a dish that’s sure to become a favourite for St Andrew’s Day celebrations this year– the Scotch Lamb Muckle Pie.
Celebrated on November 30th, St Andrew’s Day is the perfect time to enjoy Scotch Lamb, which is born and reared on Scottish farms that proudly hold whole of life, whole of supply chain quality assurance Whilst many people associate lamb with Spring time, it is in the Autumn months, once the lambs have had time to mature, that the perfect tenderness and flavour is achieved.
Taking its name from the Scots word ‘muckle’ (which means hearty, huge or great), our Scotch Lamb Muckle pie, developed by Derek Johnstone, is a dish that is made for bringing people together to celebrate and enjoy the very best of Scottish produce. The combination of the rich, savoury Scotch Lamb filling and flaky pastry crust make it an irresistible dish for any St Andrew’s Day gathering.
Renowned for his culinary expertise and passion for Scottish ingredients, Derek has created this dish to capture the essence of Scotland: “Scotch Lamb is amazing all year round but tastes particularly good at this time of year – the Scotch Lamb Muckle Pie is a tasty celebration of Scotland’s natural larder. In my opinion, Scotch Lamb has the potential to become as iconic and synonymous with St Andrew’s Day, as haggis is to Burns Night.
“We wanted to create something that is delicious and also embodies the warmth and tradition of Scottish hospitality – who doesn’t love a pie?! I’m thrilled to share this dish and hope it becomes a beloved part of many St Andrew’s Day celebrations for years to come.”
To enjoy the Scotch Lamb Muckle Pie for yourself, see the ingredients and method below or visit the Make it Scotch website Make It Scotch | Scotch Lamb Muckle Pie: Lamb for St Andrew’s Day 2024
Scotch Lamb Muckle Pie
Ingredients
1kg Scotch Lamb shoulder – deboned
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 celery stick, chopped into chunks
2 shallots, peeled and chopped into wedges
½ leek, roughly chopped
150ml white wine
1 bay leaf / 1 sprig rosemary / 1 sprig thyme/
15g Ras el Hanout / 5g cumin (alternative for Ras el Hanout: Mix equal quantities of ground paprika, ground coriander and ground ginger and a pinch of saffron)
2L lamb stock
360g puff pastry
10g chopped coriander (to finish)
Vegetable oil
Salt
Freshly milled black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, carrot, celery, shallots and the leek to a large roasting tray and roast for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, season the lamb with salt and the spices then sear all over in a hot frying pan until nicely caramelised.
Remove the lamb from pan and deglaze it with white wine.
Transfer the juices along with the seared lamb, roasted vegetables, stock (you might not need the full 2 litres to fill your slow cooker/casserole dish) and herbs into your slow cooker and cook on low for 5-7 hours.
Once cooked, carefully remove the lamb from the slow cooker, strain the liquid through a strainer and roughly shred the lamb, discarding the vegetables.
Reduce the liquid in a saucepan, adding a little into the shredded lamb and reserving the remaining liquid for the sauce.
Add the chopped coriander to the lamb and put to one side to cool to room temperature
Press the cooled lamb into a small mould, such as a metal flan ring roughly 12cm in diameter, and chill in the fridge for 30minutes.
Meanwhile, roll out two pieces of puff pastry – one to form the base, and one to form the lid of your pie. Use a dinner plate as a guide for your base – or something roughly 18cm in diameter. Make your pastry lid slightly bigger.
Place your pastry base onto a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, then turn out your chilled lamb from the mould onto the base. Lay your pastry lid over the top of the dome filling and press down gently to seal the two.
Glaze with egg yolk and put your pie back in oven for 20 minutes at 180°C fan/200°C.
Serve with your own choice of sides and vegetables.
Why not try Derek’s top choice of sides to accompany your pie – “I’d roast some baby carrots in lamb fat with thyme and rosemary or pickle some carrot ribbons in a simple pickle liquor of white wine vinegar and sugar – perfect sides to go with this tasty dish”.
Ingredients – For the Sauce
Scotch Lamb Braising Juices – reduced until correct consistency
25g lilliput caper
25g cornichon, diced
10g chives, chopped
Method
Pour your strained liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan with high sides and gently simmer the stock.
Reduce until a shiny, lightly thickened sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
Strain once more and add the chopped garnish.
Serve on the side of your Muckle Scotch Lamb Pie.