George's Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with White Bean Purée

For once I can claim no part whatsoever in the following recipe as it was made for me in its entirety by my boyfriend! I'm fairly swamped with revision at the moment with my final law exams beginning next week so cooking duties have been put a bit on the back burner. The good news about that is that I get wonderful meals like this one made for me and this lamb was so good I simply had to share it with you.

The lamb itself was cooked to perfection, coated in a herby, lemony, crunchy sourdough crust and served alongside a super smooth, super tasty purée packed with all the great flavours of Southern France - heady garlic, earthy rosemary and salty anchovies. I can honestly say this was one of the most delicious things I've had the pleasure of eating and I urge you all to give it a go!

George's Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with White Bean Purée
Serves 2

50g sourdough bread, torn into small pieces 
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley 
2 tbsp thyme leaf 
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, picked from sprigs 
zest 1 lemon 
25g grated parmesan 
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6-bone rack of lamb, well trimmed 
1 tbsp Dijon mustard 
200g spinach leaves 

For the bean purée:
400g can butter bean, drained and rinsed 
1 garlic clove, chopped 
3 anchovy fillets
large rosemary sprig, leaves chopped 
juice ½ lemon 
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the bread, herbs, zest and Parmesan into a food processor with 1 tbsp of the oil and some seasoning. Blitz until everything is finely chopped. Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the lamb, then brown it well on all sides and turn off the heat. Turn the racks so that they are fat-side up, and brush liberally with the mustard. 

Pack over the herb crust, drizzle with a bit more oil, and roast for 15-25 mins until the crust is golden and the lamb is cooked – if you have a thermometer it should read 50C in the middle. Put the lamb on a board to rest and cover loosely with foil. 

While the lamb is cooking, blitz the beans with the garlic, anchovies, rosemary, lemon juice, some seasoning and 5 tbsp olive oil (or enough to make it a smooth purée). Tip into a saucepan to gently heat. 

While the lamb is resting, heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil in the pan you used to cook it in and then wilt the spinach over a low heat. Once the lamb has rested, carefully carve it into chops, trying to keep the crust intact. Divide the warm bean purée between 2 plates, add a small mound of spinach, then arrange 3 lamb chops on top of each portion. Sprinkle with stray crumbs and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Comments

Popular Posts