Beef + Lamb Young Ambassador: Nic Kearney
Nic is chef de partie at Onslow in Auckland. Raised in Oamaru and Dunedin, he was inspired to cook from a young age by his mum and his nana. This inspiration grew into a passion and eventually became his career path. more
1. Who taught you to cook, and what’s the first thing you learned to cook?
My nana was a home ed teacher at the local intermediate school in Oamaru. She would often take me home from primary school at a young age and I would help her bake or prepare dinner. My first memory of cooking was learning how to make a muffin mixture.
2. Name one of your most treasured food memories.
My step-dad worked at the Cadburys factory in Dunedin, and I have a vivid memory of him bringing home a sample of Caramilk chocolate before it came onto the market – I thought I was in the Willy Wonka factory.
3. What are the ingredients or flavours you could not live without?
I would have to go with potatoes and herbs. I grew up eating potatoes almost every dinner, and I love how herbs can elevate any dish.
4. What’s currently on your playlist when you’re hard at work in the kitchen?
Unfortunately we don’t listen to music at work, but I can give you the song I have to repeat on my walk to work. It’s Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado.
5. What’s your fave beef and lamb dishes from around the world?
Some of my favourite beef and lamb dishes come from a chef in Canada. His name is Ron McKinlay, and some of his work with beef and lamb is seriously inspirational.
6. You’ve just grilled the perfect rib-eye ... over coals of course. Who would be your dream dinner guest/s (alive, or not) to share it with?
What a great question! It would have to be my Mum. She still hasn't dined at the restaurant in Auckland and I would love her to come and experience it.
7. Name a useful tip, trick or hack when cooking beef or lamb?
There's a few tips and tricks I have learned when working with beef and lamb. One thing that can't be overlooked is letting the meat come to room temp before cooking it and cooking it gently and giving it a respectful time to rest afterwards.
8. You’ve got 30 minutes, what’s your go-to beef or lamb dish?
If I'm cooking at home for myself and have 30 minutes, I would whip up a quick Asian-inspired beef and broccoli stir-fry – such an easy way to pack a punch of flavour in a short period of time.
9. I’m cooking schnitzel tonight (our fave). What should I serve with it?
A good schnitzel should be served with a punchy potato salad, and a little bit of cabbage with a banging sauce.
10. Name a lesser-known cut of beef you’d recommend and a good way to prepare it?
I don't see many people cooking beef cheeks at home that much. An easy way I'd recommend is to cut up some onions, carrots and celery. Trim the fat cap of the beef cheek and cut it into serving sizes. Heat up a crockpot (slow cooker), cooking down your veg with some aromatics (whatever you have available). Sear the beef cheeks in a different pan, add to the crockpot, cover in stock and let everything cook overnight or for at least 6 hours. You'll have some mouth watering beef once it's done.
11. Please take the LSC Lamb Shoulder Challenge! You’ve got a nice grass-fed shoulder of NZ lamb, plus oil and S+P. You’re allowed 5 other ingredients of your choice; What are they and what would you make?
Another great question. The ingredients would be: butter, milk, flour, potatoes, parsley. The dish would be a deboned shoulder that I'd butterfly out and rub some parsley into, then let it roast slowly. Make a sauce from the roasting juices, and serve it on a bed of mash potatoes.
12. What are your top four, all-time fave mince based dishes?
12. Not in any specific order; Shepherd’s pie, mapo tofu, Bolognese pasta and leftover stewed mince on toast.
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