Glazed lamb neck by Jonnie Boer

A dish with lamb that is as impressive as it is simple, made by three-Michelin-starred chef Jonnie Boer at his restaurant De Librije. It requires some planning, but the result is fantastic.

Choose your meat
Ask your butcher for a (preferably brined) lamb neck. The lamb neck must have been in dry or wet brine for at least 24 hours. You can also brine it yourself: rub the meat with curing salt (or fine table salt) and leave it covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Thanks to the brine, the meat will remain beautifully pink during cooking. After 24 hours of brining, the lamb neck will have shrunk slightly.

How to make the glazed lamb neck

Confit
Preheat the oven to 90 degrees. Fill a pan or large dish with the olive oil. Cut the garlic bulb in half horizontally; you need 1 half. Add the following to the olive oil: half a bulb of garlic, thyme, rosemary, coriander seeds, pepper and salt. You can actually add all kinds of flavors, such as lemon, bay leaf or star anise. Place the lamb neck in the pan or dish with the confit mixture; make sure the meat is completely submerged in the liquid.

Cook in the oven
Place the pan or dish with the lamb neck in the confit mixture in the preheated oven and cook the meat for 10 hours.

Cool
Carefully remove the cooked lamb neck from the oven. First place the meat in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes to cool (overnight is fine too). Only then cut away the fat from the cold lamb neck. The meat must be cold, otherwise the lamb neck will fall apart when sliced.

Glaze
Preheat the oven to 130 degrees. Pour the lamb jus into a bowl and brush the meat all over with the jus. Place the glazed meat in an ovenproof dish. Slide it into the preheated oven and heat it until the jus starts to caramelize (this takes approximately 3–4 minutes): it will become slightly syrupy. Remove the lamb neck from the oven and glaze it again. Return the meat to the oven until the jus has caramelized again. Repeat this 4 to 6 times until the outside is beautifully browned.

Croutons
Cut the croutons (store-bought or homemade) into tiny cubes. Turn the lamb neck onto its side through the croutons so they stick to the meat.

Serve
Use a sharp grater to grate thin strands of lime zest over the lamb neck. Serve it on a plate with, for example, a fresh salad. The meat is now so tender that it falls away from the bone when sliced.

Wine tip: Salentein Primus Malbec

Salentein Primus Malbec is a festive red wine that, like this dish, is perfect for a lovely dinner and a long evening at the table. And although Malbec is a match made in heaven for Argentine rib eye, Malbec is also a delicious choice with lamb; lamb is an exceptionally versatile partner for classic and prestigious wines. Malbec was once one of the most important grapes in Bordeaux, but today it is Argentina’s signature grape. Like the country itself, the grape is intense, powerful and always surprising. Particularly striking is its soft, ripe texture, which, despite the wine’s considerable power, makes it very approachable. Try this beautiful Salentein alongside the glazed lamb neck; dare to combine and let yourself be surprised! Available through Wijnkring for € 38,95.

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