My Kitchen Rules chef Darren Robertson shares how his approach to food has changed since having a family - and his tips for the perfect barbecued lamb this summer

  • Darren Robertson, 40, is the Byron-based chef behind Three Blue Ducks
  • He spoke to FEMAIL about his career and how his cooking has changed
  • Since he became a dad, Darren admitted his approach is a lot simpler 
  • He swears by barbecuing and also loves making one pot wonders
  • Darren also shared two delicious summery lamb recipes with FEMAIL 

By SOPHIE HASLETT FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: | Updated:

With temperatures rising well into the thirties this weekend, many around Australia will be thinking about a barbecue one evening.

And you could do worse than turn to the Three Blue Ducks cafe owner and My Kitchen Rules chef, Darren Robertson, for tips.

Here, speaking to FEMAIL the 40-year-old father and cook shares some of his culinary wisdom.

This includes how to barbecue the perfect lamb, how Darren's cooking has changed since starting a family and his own foodie journey - which has brought him from Britain to Byron Bay.

Speaking to FEMAIL the 40-year-old father and cook, Darren Robertson (pictured) shares some of his culinary wisdom

Speaking to FEMAIL the 40-year-old father and cook, Darren Robertson (pictured) shares some of his culinary wisdom

These include how to barbecue the perfect lamb, how Darren's cooking has changed since starting a family and his own foodie journey - which has brought him from Britain to Byron Bay (pictured with his wife, Magdalena Roze)

These include how to barbecue the perfect lamb, how Darren's cooking has changed since starting a family and his own foodie journey - which has brought him from Britain to Byron Bay (pictured with his wife, Magdalena Roze)

Darren told FEMAIL that while he never had a hankering to come to Australia, he did love the fact that it was a melting pot of cuisines and cultures when he arrived (pictured with his son outside Three Blue Ducks)

Darren told FEMAIL that while he never had a hankering to come to Australia, he did love the fact that it was a melting pot of cuisines and cultures when he arrived (pictured with his son outside Three Blue Ducks)

First things first, Darren explained to FEMAIL how he ended up in Australia - as one of the country's highest profile chefs:

'I never had a hankering to come to Australia,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'But I did know I wanted to do something different.

'At home, when I was growing up and getting into cooking, it was all about a certain style of cooking. There were no great Thai restaurants where I lived, but when I came to Australia I fully discovered that whole melting pot of cuisines.

'Having never cooked with miso or tahini, I quickly learned so many new things.'

Nearly fifteen years later, he's still here - dividing his time between Byron Bay and his wife, the meteorologist, Magdalena Roze, and family, and Sydney - where he has recently opened a new restaurant in Bondi, Rocker. 

'Having never cooked with miso or tahini, I quickly learned so many new things,' the chef (pictured) said of his early days in Australia

'Having never cooked with miso or tahini, I quickly learned so many new things,' the chef (pictured) said of his early days in Australia

The chef and his family are a huge fan of barbecues - which, he said, they do once every few nights (pictured: one of his festive spreads)

The chef and his family are a huge fan of barbecues - which, he said, they do once every few nights (pictured: one of his festive spreads)

Speaking about how his cooking style has evolved over the years and changed since having his son, Darren admitted he has gone a little back to basics (pictured with Magdalena)

Speaking about how his cooking style has evolved over the years and changed since having his son, Darren admitted he has gone a little back to basics (pictured with Magdalena)

Speaking about how his cooking style has evolved over the years and changed since having his son, Darren admitted he has gone a little back to basics:

'It has become a lot simpler,' he said. 

'Before kids, I'd always had this impression that things had to be really fancy and needed all sorts of garnishes.

'Now, we have the barbecue on every other night, and I love whipping up one pot wonders.'

Darren also said he's embraced a more rustic, simple way of cooking too:

'I like cooking whole ingredients,' he said. 'Parents always want to peel and dice and make massive effort with things.

'But I often leave the skin on carrots as we waste so much food and time. Plus, the skin of veggies can often hold the most flavour and nutrients.'

Darren (pictured) also said he's embraced a more rustic, simple way of cooking too - he confessed he likes to cook with whole ingredients and whole vegetables

Darren (pictured) also said he's embraced a more rustic, simple way of cooking too - he confessed he likes to cook with whole ingredients and whole vegetables

Harissa butterflied lamb leg, smoked eggplant and watermelon radish salad

Preparation: 40 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes. Serves: 4-6 

Ingredients 

Darren shared a recipe for harissa butterflied lamb leg with smoked eggplant and watermelon radish salad

Darren shared a recipe for harissa butterflied lamb leg with smoked eggplant and watermelon radish salad

1 x 1.5kg leg of lamb (butterflied) 

2 tsp fennel seeds 

2 tsp cumin seeds 

2 tsp coriander seeds 

3 cloves garlic 

1 tsp Aleppo pepper 

1 1/2 large red chilies 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 bunch coriander stalks 

1 pinch pepper corns 

6 tbsp olive oil 

2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

Salt 

Smoked eggplant yoghurt 

100g plain yoghurt 

1 small eggplant 

1 pinch sumac 

Watermelon radish salad

200g piece of watermelon, peeled 

1 lime 

1 handful of picked coriander leaves 

1 handful of picked mint leaves

1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled 

2 tbsp olive oil 

1/2 large red chilli, sliced 

8 baby red radishes, washed 

1 vine of tomatoes 

1 small red onion, finely sliced 

1 pinch grated garlic 

Salt and pepper 

Method 

1. For the smoked eggplant yoghurt, preheat the barbecue to 200°C and cook the eggplant for 5 -10 minutes on the chargrill or naked flame until charred. Leave to cool then peel away half the skin and discard. Blitz the eggplant with the yogurt and season with sumac.

2. For the butterflied lamb leg, roast the spices then blend to a powder. Grind the chili, garlic, coriander stalks and mix in the olive oil, vinegar and spices. Marinade the lamb in half of the paste, ideally over night in the fridge, or for at least a couple of hours.

3. When the barbecue is preheated to 200°C, season the lamb with salt and place in the centre of the barbecue, skin side up. Barbecue with the hood down for 20 minutes, turning and basting with the remaining harrisa paste regularly. Once cooked, leave to rest for 20 minutes then carve.

4. For the watermelon radish salad, wash the radishes and cut them into quarters. Peel and dice the cucumber. Remove the eye from the tomatoes and roughly dice. 

5. Very thinly slice the chilli, dice the watermelon and mix all the ingredients into a good size bowl, seasoning with a little salt, pepper, lime juice, garlic and olive oil. Add the herbs and red onion. Toss and serve. 

Cooking tips 

• If you are barbecuing with the hood up, cook the lamb leg for 40 minutes and remember to turn and baste the remainder of the harrisa paste regularly so that the leg does not dry out. 

• The time taken to rest will depend on its size of the meat; a butterflied lamb leg is best rested for 10 to 20 minutes before carving. A rule of thumb used by some chefs is 1 minute resting time for every 100g of meat.

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'People can see lamb as this really heavy meat, but I love cooking it, and serving it with a really fresh watermelon salad,' Darren said (pictured: one of his lamb dishes)

'People can see lamb as this really heavy meat, but I love cooking it, and serving it with a really fresh watermelon salad,' Darren said (pictured: one of his lamb dishes)

Darren shared with FEMAIL a couple of recipes for cooking lamb on the barbecue, something which he often does at home in Byron for his young family:

'People can see lamb as this really heavy meat, but I love cooking it, and serving it with a really fresh watermelon salad,' he said.

'It's so easy and fresh and can be a really good thing to make when entertaining. 

The top chef also said that thankfully he has been blessed with a son who eats all sorts of things:

'He's really into pickles and sauerkraut at the moment,' he laughed. 

'He loves capers and luckily loves getting involved in the kitchen when either myself or Mags are making pasta or omelettes.' 

Darren Robertson has teamed up with We Love Our Lamb this summer to create two delicious recipes, which are easy to make and perfect for sharing.

For more information, please click here. 

The top chef also said that thankfully he has been blessed with a son who eats all sorts of things - at the moment, he loves sauerkraut (pictured together)

The top chef also said that thankfully he has been blessed with a son who eats all sorts of things - at the moment, he loves sauerkraut (pictured together)

Lamb loin chops, charred shallow salsa verde and zucchini, fennel, apple and almond salad 

Darren is a dab hand at cooking lamb dishes, he shared two recipes with FEMAIL (pictured)

Darren is a dab hand at cooking lamb dishes, he shared two recipes with FEMAIL (pictured)

Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves: 4-6.

Ingredients 

8 x 100g lamb loin 

Salt and pepper 

1 tsp ground fennel seeds and cumin

Charred shallot salsa verde

6 shallots 

A pinch of grated garlic 

Juice and zest of half a lemon 

3 tbsp red wine vinegar 

2 tsp capers chopped

2 tsp gherkins chopped 

2 tsp Dijon mustard 

6 tbsp olive oil 

2 handfuls of picked flat parsley to be chopped 

1 handful of picked basil to be chopped 

1 handful of picked mint to be chopped 

Salt and pepper 

Zucchini, fennel, apple and almond salad

1 green apple 

1 zucchini, shaved 

2 tbsp whole roasted almonds 

1 small head of fennel, thinly sliced 

2 sliced shallots 

20g Parmesan 

1 lime 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Salt, pepper 

Method

1. Season the lamb chops with salt, pepper and spices. Next season the shallots with salt, pepper and a little oil. 

2. For the charred shallot salsa verde, chargrill the shallots for 2-3 minutes then set aside. Put aside 3 of the shallots, along with a little handful of the herbs to garnish. 

3. Chop the rest of the shallots and add to a blender with all the other salsa verde ingredients. Blend to a coarse green sauce then season with salt and pepper. 

4. For the lamb chops, preheat the barbecue to 200°C. Place the lamb cutlets in the centre of the barbecue. Chargrill the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes each side, until cooked pink. Rest the lamb for 3-4 minutes before serving. 

5. For the zucchini, fennel, apple and almond salad, cut the apple into matchsticks and to a bowl. Add the shaved zucchini, throw in the shallot, almonds and fennel. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl and grate Parmesan over the top. 

6. Serve the lamb chops on a sharing dish garnished with the whole shallots and herbs, serve the charred shallot salsa verde on the side. 

Cooking tips

• To test for the doneness of the lamb you can use the ‘touch test’ method. Press the outside centre of the meat lightly with tongs. If it feels soft, it’s on the rare side; if it feels springy, it’s medium. Any firmer to touch and its on its way to being well done. 

• Resting the meat will mean you lose less juice when you cut it, meaning the meat will be juicier and tastier. Chops should stand for about 5 minutes (at least 3) before serving.

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Byron Bay

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