Maldon Salt celebrates Easter with a collection of inspiring seasonal recipes, showcasing the vibrant flavours of Spring to enjoy with family and friends.
From marvellous mains and sensational sides, to indulgent desserts and brilliant bakes, Maldon Salt elevates everyday dishes into something extraordinary. Add a pinch of magic to your Easter table and celebrate Springtime with Maldon.
MAINS
Leg of Lamb with Hasselback Potatoes and Salsa Verde
SIDES
DESSERT
Salted Caramel Hot Cross Buns with Dark Chocolate
Leg of Lamb with Lyonnaise Potatoes and Salsa Verde
Ingredients
2kg leg of lamb
A handful of rosemary sprigs
2 garlic bulbs
10 bay leaves
5 banana shallots
1.5kg maris piper potatoes
1 lemon, halved
5 tbsp olive oil
Maldon Sea Salt flakes
Cracked black pepper
Salsa verde:
1 small banana shallot, finely chopped
2 anchovies, chopped
1 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
Small handful of parsley, leaved picked and finely chopped
Small handful of basil, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry cinegar
150ml olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Firstly, start with the Lyonnaise potatoes. The easiest way to make the cuts is to place a potato onto a chopping board and put a chopstick flat on either side. Then using a knife, carefully cut slices all the way along the potato – the chopsticks will ensure that you don’t cut fully through the potato. Repeat this with each potato.
Place the leg of lamb onto a large roasting tray skin side up, and then nestle the prepared potatoes around it. Cut the shallots in half lengthways and add them to the tray. Cut the garlic bulbs in half, cutting through the cloves like a cross section. Add two of the halves to the tray. Use a sharp knife to insert some small cuts into the skin of the lamb, then press some of the other cut garlic cloves and small sprigs from the rosemary into the cuts. Slice the lemon in half and add this to the tray as well. Finally slot the bay leaves into some of the cuts of the potatoes.
Drizzle the potatoes, shallots, garlic and lemons with 3 tbsp of the olive oil then drizzle the remaining two across the lamb. Season well with Maldon Sea Salt and cracked black pepper. Place into the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour 25 minutes.
While the lamb and potatoes are cooking, make the salsa verde. Add the chopped shallot, anchovies, capers and herbs into a bowl. Add the red wine vinegar and give it a stir. Then slowly drizzle in the olive oil and give it a good mix. Season with Maldon Sea Salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Set aside.
Once the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven. The potatoes should be lovely and golden, and tender in the middle – but if they need a little longer, simply lift the lamb out onto a board to rest and return them to the oven for 10 minutes. Allow the lamb to rest before carving and serving with the potatoes, some greens and the salsa verde.
Lyonnaise Potatoes
Serves: 4 as a side
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
400g waxy potatoes, we used new potatoes
50g unsalted butter
4 tbsp olive oil
2 white onions, finely sliced
1 tsp Maldon Garlic Sea Salt flakes, plus extra to serve
Cracked black pepper
A small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Method:
Start by slicing the potatoes into 2cm thick slices, discarding the very small ends.
Then place them into a pot of water and bring up to the boil. Let the potatoes boil for
2 minutes – you want them to just start to go tender but still uncooked and firm in the
middle. This means they won’t break down when sauteed.
Drain the potatoes and allow them to sit to make sure they are fully dry. Then add
half the butter and oil and begin frying the potato slices. You will need to do this in
batches to ensure they can all get nice and golden, and crisp on each side. Remove
from the pan as the slices cook and then add new ones.
Once all the potato slices are fried, add the remaining butter and oil to the pan and
then add the finely sliced onion along with the Maldon Garlic Sea Salt flakes. Fry this
for 8 minutes until soft, golden and caramelized.
Finally add the potatoes back to the pan to warm them through, adding some
cracked black pepper. Then serve the Lyonnaise potatoes on a serving dish along
with an extra sprinkle of Maldon Garlic Sea Salt flakes and the chopped parsley.
British Spring Salad
500g Jersey royal potatoes
150g Frozen broad beans
150g Frozen garden peas
250g Asparagus
Wild garlic pesto:
75g Wild garlic leaves
A small handful basil leaves
150ml Olive oil
20g Pine nuts
1 tsp Capers
10g Pecorino, finely grated
Handful of pea shoots
Cracked black pepper
Pinch of Maldon Salt
Let’s celebrate spring with a salad packed full of using the season’s delicious and vibrant produce, including jersey royal potatoes, asparagus and peas!
We give our salad a twist by making a fresh, wild garlic pesto which is drizzled on the potatoes and acts as a final salad dressing to the dish once assembled. We offer a full detailed recipe on how to make a wild garlic pesto which is also great to garnish over meat and vegetables, or stirred through a pasta dish.
If you would like to add additional elements to this salad, we welcome adding blue cheese, a handful of cherry tomatoes, red onion and a handful of fresh herbs. If you would like an alternative dressing to the dish, although ready-made sauces likes Salad Cream is a cult favourite, we also have a gorgeous apple cyder
vinaigrette which made by using Aspall’s Apple Cyder Vinegar .
To finish off the dish, a generous sprinkling of Maldon Salt is a must. Not only does the sea salt flakes transform dull flavours to a more balance, brightened and elevated shine, it gives that perfect flaky crunch that you crave when you tuck into your salad.
Start by preparing the wild garlic pesto. In a food processor or blender add the pesto ingredients and blitz until it forms a paste, this can be as chunky or smooth as you like. It will be vibrant green from the wild garlic leaves. Set aside.
Next cook the jersey royal potatoes. If any of them are larger than the other, cut them in half. Place them in a large pan of water and bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until they feel tender when inserted with a knife.
While the potatoes are cooking bring a second pan of water up to the boil. Once boiling blanch your asparagus, peas and broad beans for 1 minutes until just tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and drain.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them too and allow to steam for a minute. After
this toss them in 2/3 of the wild garlic pesto.
On a large serving platter spoon on the warm pesto potatoes. Top with the blanched
asparagus, broad beans and peas.
Drizzle with the remaining pesto, some cracked black pepper and some Maldon Salt.
Garnish with the fresh pea shoots and serve.
Salted Caramel Hot Cross Buns with Dark Chocolate
Ingredients
400g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting
7g Sachet of fast action yeast
50g Golden Caster Sugar
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
150ml Whole Milk, lukewarm
1 Large Egg, beaten
50g Unsalted Butter, melted but cooled slightly
75g Dark Chocolate chips
75g Sultanas
50g Plain Flour
100g Salted Caramel sauce
Served with: Whipped butter and pinch of Maldon salt
Salted caramel is glazed across these hot cross buns, which are filled with dark
chocolate, sultanas, and spices. They are perfect when toasted and spread with
lovely whipped, salted butter.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, yeast, caster sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon,and a large pinch of Maldon salt. In a separate bowl mix together the warm milk,egg, and melted butter. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and thenpour in the egg mixture.
Mix this together in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. If you don’t have a stand mixeryou can knead by hand on the surface for approximately 10 minutes.
Place the dough into a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover with clingfilm or a tea towel in a slightly warm place until it has doubled in size – this will take roughly an hour.
Once the dough has risen, knock back the air and then tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch it out. Sprinkle across the chocolate chips and the sultanas and then knead once more until they are evenly incorporated throughout – you can do this in the stand mixer again, if available.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal balls and round them until smooth in your hands.
Place them onto a lined baking sheet with a little gap between each to allow them to
grow. Cover this loosely with some clingfilm and give them a second prove for 20
minutes until they have puffed up.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
In a small bowl mix together the plain flour with roughly 50 ml of water (you may need more), until you have a thick paste. Spoon this mixture into a piping bag and then carefully pipe lines across the top of each bun to make the Hot Cross Bun’s crosses. Place them into the middle of the oven and back for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown and puffed up.
Once baked, remove from the oven and then, whilst still warm, brush over the salted caramel sauce with a pastry brush. Finally sprinkle over a last pinch of Maldon Salt.
Serve warm or toasted, alongside some whipped butter.