“There’s a little bit of technique needed here for this sauce, but it’s worth the effort,” says Andrew McConnell. “Hay butter and sorrel is a great match, providing an earthy punch and acidity.”
Ingredients
Hay butter
Hay-butter dressing
Method
1.For hay butter, preheat oven to 200°C. Soak hay in water (10 minutes), then place on a baking tray and roast to dry out (8-10 minutes). Place butter in a saucepan, add hay and swirl gently over medium heat just to the point where butter is almost browned (4-5 minutes). Line a small dish (about the size of a block of butter) with baking paper. Strain butter through muslin, discarding hay, then refrigerate until butter solidifies (1-2 hours). Chop into cubes.
2.For hay-butter dressing, bring cream, lemon juice and a pinch of coarsely ground pepper to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half (8-10 minutes). Reduce to lowest heat (less than a simmer), and whisking constantly, slowly add hay butter until emulsified. Season to taste.
3.Meanwhile, cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water seasoned with 2 tbsp salt until just tender (20 minutes). Drain, cool briefly (1-2 minutes), then peel and halve lengthways. Combine with sorrel, herbs and dressing and toss to coat. Serve with the roast duck (see left).
Oaten hay is available from pet-food suppliers.
Notes
