Dohne Lamb delights MasterChef

By Masterchef Hayden Quinn

Growing up in Sydney I was always a long way from the land. But having grown up in a very normal Australian family who loved a good old fashioned roast, chop, cutlet, kidney and shank, oh and even these days Dad’s more exotic butterflied lamb leg, lamb was always on the menu. Our family loved our Aussie lamb and still do.  Sometimes it was more of a delicacy than a staple but when we did eat our lamb we were always hoping for the juiciest, most moist piece of lamb we could get. This past week I have been lucky enough to wrap my fangs around some very gorgeous Dohne Merino lamb from Trevor Kaye and Nigel Bottrall’s farm Greenslopes in Jamestown, SA.

The arrival of this lamb was enough for me to test out, taste and come up with some new recipes, as well as last me a few more weeks into the future! Unwrapping the lamb the high quality of the meat was immediately obvious just from looking at the different cuts; the deep red meat is surrounded by just enough fat to ensure the meat remains tender and moist during cooking. The fat content of the Dohne breed allows the lamb to remain lean, but not so lean as too loose flavour or allow the meat to dry out, just the right balance (and to be honest, probably my most favorite part on any lamb would have to be the “tails” on the lamb chop and the Dohne tails were exceptional!!!)

When you start talking about fat the first thing people think of is that it is bad for you. But what a lot of people don’t know is that over half of the fat in a grass fed lamb is unsaturated fat (like that of olive oil, avocado etc). So a little bit of lamb fat is not too bad, not only does this mean good flavour, it also means a healthy and happy lamb. Other health benefits of Dohne lamb include being high in protein and iron, packed with B vitamins and zinc which is easily absorbed into the body. Just what every growing Aussie kid needs!

Eating the Dohne lamb the meat is beautiful and tender, succulent and juicy and perfect for any methods of cooking. I love slow roasting the shoulder on the bone, or grilling lamb chops, slow cooked lamb shanks are definitely a favorite as is my mums classic dish of lambs kidneys. The versatility and incredible taste of the Dohne Merino lamb is one which will ensure me to ask next time I am at the butcher if they have any Dohne Merino.

All in all it is no wonder the Dohne Merino took out paddock-to-plate prime lamb competition in the 2013 175^th Campbell Town Show, TAS for the second year running with full marks from the judges across the board.

Not only does the show board love the Dohne Merino, but so do I and so does my family.

Make sure you check out some of my favorite lamb dishes here at www.haydenquinn.com.au along with my slow roast lamb shoulder (Recipe Opposite).

Hayden Quinn