We ate like kings on Saturday! First the asparagus with parmesan and wild garlic mayo, then lamb fillet with celeriac gratin and a wonderful sauce with port and porcini mushrooms. It was one of those days when everything came together. The meat, the gartin and the sauce was a great combination that would work any season really. With the lamb rolled in chopped parsley it felt quite spring like, and a celeriac gratin feels so much lighter than a potato gratin. Yum!

Lmab fillet with celeriac gartin and porcini sauce, serves 2

The meat:

2 lamb fillet about 150-200 g each

butter and oil for frying

salt, back pepper

chopped parsley

The gratin:

4/5 celeriac

3 tbsp cream

200 ml milk

2 tsp plain flour

1 clove of garlic, pressed

salt, white pepper

breadcrumbs

3 tbsp butter, in dollops

The sauce:

1 shallot, finely chopped

12 g dried porcini (ceps) mushrooms, soaked and squeezed on th excess fluid, chopped

2 tbsp port

200 ml cream

concentrated game stock

colouring agent

salt, white pepper

Start with the gratin. Peel the celeriac and cut into 5 strips. Slice for of these into thin slices (1-2 mm). Put them in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes. Drain. Grease an oven dish (about 15×25 cm) with butter and add the celeriac. Mix milk, cream, flour, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and  pour over the celeriac. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and distribute the dollops of butter on top. Bake in 200C for about 40 mins or until the celeriac is soft and the gratin is golden brown on top.

Fry the meat on high heat in butter and oil on all sides. Lower the heat and fry for about 5 minutes longer. Remove to tin foil, wrap it around, and leave to rest.

Melt a knob of butter in a sauce pan and fry the onions soft without browning, add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes longer. Add the port and let it most of it bubble away. Add the cream, while stiring, bring to the boil. Add colouring agent, stock, salt and pepper to taste. Also add the meat juices from the tin foil.

Roll the meat in parsley and cut each fillet into 3 pieces. Plate and serve with green beans.