Recipes: Maille Easter Eats

In need of some dinner inspiration? Try these recipes from Maille

Slow-roasted French leg of lamb with Maille Dijon Originale, thyme, fennel and flageolet beans (pictured above)

This tender, slow-roasted leg of Spring lamb is studded with garlic cloves and brushed with a mixture of Maille Dijon Originale and melted butter, cooked on a bed of soaked flageolet beans with carrots, fennel and onion.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours, plus 15 minutes resting time

300g dried flageolet or cannellini beans, soaked overnight
1 leg of lamb
4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp Maille Dijon Originale
20g butter, melted
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
400g Chantenay carrots, halved lengthways
1 bulb fennel, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
800ml vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme sprigs, to garnish if desired

1 Rinse the soaked beans and cook in rapidly boiling water for 10 minutes (this is important!). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/Gas Mark 5.

2. Pierce the leg of lamb 10-12 times with a sharp knife, and push slivers of garlic into the slits. Mix the mustard and melted butter with the thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Brush all over the lamb.

3. Drain the beans and tip them into a large roasting dish. Add the carrots, fennel, onion and vegetable stock. Lift the leg of lamb on top and cover tightly with foil.

4. Roast for 4 hours, turning the bean mixture after 2 hours and adding an extra 150ml of boiling water. Remove the foil for the final 10-15 minutes.

5. Lift the leg of lamb onto a carving board and cover tightly with foil. Leave to rest for 15 minutes. Keep the bean mixture warm by covering with foil and returning to the turned-off oven. Carve the lamb and serve with the beans and vegetables, garnished with fresh thyme sprigs.

Cook's tip
Use 2 x 400g cans of flageolet or cannellini beans instead of dried ones, adding them after 2 hours of cooking.

Brazilian salsa cod with Maille Dijon Originale and sweet potato wedges

This vibrant cod recipe is served with roast sweet potato wedges and a fruity, refreshing Brazilian-style salsa.

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Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus marinating time
Cooking time: 40 minutes

2 tsp Maille Dijon Originale
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes and 1 lemon
3 tbsp Maille extra virgin olive oil
4 x 150g thick cod fillets
4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
Salsa:
1 medium ripe mango, finely chopped
100g fresh pineapple, chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
¼ cucumber, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or mint
Few drops of lime juice, lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp Maille Dijon Originale
Salt and freshly ground mixed black pepper
Mixed salad leaves, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

2 Mix together the mustard, lime or lemon zest and juice and 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the cod fillets, season with black pepper and turn over to coat. Cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, toss the sweet potato wedges in the remaining olive oil and arrange in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn over.

4 Whilst they are cooking, mix together the mango, pineapple, red onion, cucumber, chilli and coriander or mint. Add a few drops of lime juice, lemon juice or vinegar and the mustard, stirring to mix. Season.

5 Transfer the cod fillets to a baking sheet and cook on the shelf above the sweet potatoes. Roast for a further 15 minutes, until the fish and sweet potatoes are cooked (the fish should be opaque and should flake easily).

6 Serve the cod with the sweet potato wedges and salsa, accompanied by a few mixed salad leaves.

Cook's tip
Another time, use salmon fillets instead of cod.

Maple Syrup, Orange and Maille Mustard Pulled Ham with Herb-buttered Spring Vegetables

This is a fabulous baked ham centrepiece, studded with cloves and glazed with a mixture of Maille Dijon Originale, orange juice and maple syrup. It's perfect for special occasions and family gatherings.

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Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus resting
Cooking time: 3 1/2 hours

2.5kg gammon joint
2 oranges
2 bay leaves
About 20 cloves
4 tbsp Maille Dijon Originale
4 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp Maille aged Modena balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ground allspice
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetables:
500g baby carrots
2kg baby new potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
4 baby leeks, sliced
200g mangetout or sugar snap peas
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme leaves
20g butter

1 Put the gammon joint into a large saucepan or flameproof casserole and cover with cold water. Pare 2 strips of zest from the orange (use a potato peeler) and add to the saucepan with the bay leaves. Finely grate the remaining orange zest, cover it and set aside.

2 Heat the water until just beginning to boil, then cover the gammon and simmer gently for 3 hours (for smaller/larger joints calculate 30 minutes per 500g, plus 30 minutes). Check from time to time, topping up with hot water if needed. Drain well and cool for 15-20 minutes.

3 Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

4 Trim away the rind from the gammon joint, using a sharp knife. Score the fat into a diamond pattern and stud with the cloves. Transfer the joint to a roasting tin.

5 For the glaze, squeeze the juice from the orange and mix with the mustard, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, allspice and a little black pepper. Brush over the gammon where the rind has been removed. Roast for 30-45 minutes, basting with the glaze after 15 minutes.

6 At the same time, put the carrots and potatoes into a roasting tin, add the olive oil and toss to coat. Roast for 45-50 minutes, adding the leeks and steam the mangetout or sugar snap peas for four minutes until cooked.

7 Remove the gammon from the oven, wrap in foil and rest for 15 minutes. Pull the gammon apart into shreds with a fork when it is cool enough to handle.

8 When the vegetables have finished cooking, add the parsley, thyme, butter and reserved orange zest and toss together. Serve with the pulled gammon.

Cook's tips
The gammon is much easier to pull when left to rest for 15-20 minutes. For leftovers, carve the gammon and serve on buttered crusty bread spread with Maille Dijon Originale and topped with pickled dill cucumber. Make use of the stock from simmering the gammon. I can be used as the base of a tasty home-made soup.