Ingredients
- 2 x French-trimmed 7-bone racks of lamb , (caps, fat and sinews removed)
- olive oil
- unsalted butter
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 100 g shelled pistachios
- 1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (30g)
- 75 g bread
- 1 whole nutmeg , for grating
- Dijon mustard
GREEN BEANS
- 350 g fine green beans
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- ½ a lemon
- 3 sprigs of fresh tarragon
Rack of Lamb
with a garlic, parsley & pistachio crust
““Lamb like this is a total treat – it looks dramatic, and gives you tender blushing meat, with an irresistible feisty crumb. It’s also easy to scale up or down for two, six or eight, just tweak the timings instinctively. ””
Method
Get your meat out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Drizzle the lamb racks with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper, patting the seasoning all over the meat. Sear in a hot frying pan on a high heat with a little extra oil and 1 knob of butter for 2 to 3 minutes, turning with tongs until golden all over, then remove the racks to a roasting tray and let them cool.
Peel 2 cloves of garlic and place in a food processor with the pistachios and parsley (stalks and all). Tear in the bread, finely grate in half the nutmeg and blitz into a fine green crumb. Generously brush each lamb rack with mustard, then cover with the herby crumb, patting it all over the top and sides. Roast for 25 minutes, until the crust is crisp, to give you beautifully blushing lamb. Remove from the oven and leave the lamb to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim just the stalk ends off the green beans and cook for 6 to 7 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water. Crush the remaining unpeeled clove of garlic through a garlic crusher into a jar and mix with 1 teaspoon of mustard, the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the lemon juice, then taste and season to perfection. Finely chop and add the tarragon leaves. Drain the beans and toss with the dressing.