Herb Crusted Rack of Welsh Lamb
Prep Time: 10 - 15 mins Cook Time: 15 - 20 mins Serves: 4 people
We enlisted the help of fellow foodie and MasterChef Quarterfinalist, Imran Nathoo, for this delicious Welsh rack of lamb recipe. Try it for yourself – it’s simply delicious!
“As an alternative to the traditional turkey roast I present to you my wonderful herb crusted rack of lamb! A beautifully tender cut of meat that looks fancy but is very easy to cook!
Here the focus is on quality not quantity as many of us will be having an altogether smaller event for the big day.
Lamb was an easy choice! The best lamb in the world right on our doorstep! Here given a bright green coat to show it off!
Enjoy!”
Ingredients
- 2 x 6 bone rack of PGI Welsh lamb – French trimmed and fat cap removed (the butcher will do this)
- 2 tbsp of Welsh Rapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp of Welsh salted butter
- 2 slices of bread – any bread, stale better
- Halen mon finer flake sea salt
- Pepper
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Rosemary
- Large handful of flat leaf parsley – leaves only
- Halen Mon Smoky Dijon Mustard
- 2 cloves of garlic
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180c fan. Also allow the racks of lamb to come to room temperature before you cook with them.
- To make the herb crust; blitz the stale bread along with a good handful of parsley and some fresh thyme leaves also. Salt, pepper and a touch of oil. A mini food mixer or processor would be fine to do this. This will take a while to combine but the result is a bright green crumb.
- Tip out the brilliant bright green bread crumbs onto a tray.
- For the lamb; place a frying pan over a high heat, meanwhile coat the lamb (not the bones) with rapeseed oil, salt and pepper and cover well.
- Place presenting surface down first into the pan, cook for 2 mins, do not move it, then turn it over on its back for another 2 mins.
- Cook the sides and the bottom of the rack for 1 minute each. Use the bones and some tongs to handle the joint.
- Place the butter into the pan with the rosemary, thyme and garlic cloves (slight bashed) and baste the lamb in the bubbling and foaming butter using a spoon.
- Move the herbs and cloves of garlic into the middle of the pan and place the lamb on top. Transfer the whole pan to the pre heated oven for 4 mins (if you don’t have an oven proof frying pan, transfer the lamb and all the pan contents into a roasting tin).
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven (watch the hot handle!), check internal temp with a temperature probe. You are looking for between 50c and 55c for a nice medium cook. The internal temp will creep up while resting also. If the temperature is lower than 50c, pop it back in the oven for 1 min.
- Transfer the racks to a plate to rest for 5 mins.
- Coat the flesh of the rack in the Smokey Dijion Mustard then roll just the flesh in the herb crust. Make sure it’s well covered.
- Transfer to a board and carve by slicing in between the bones.
Serve with all the usual trimmings! Enjoy!
You can of course cook a bigger rack to feed more people, I’ve used the guide of 3 chops from each rack to make one portion.
Drinks pairing:
- Ancre Hill Pinot Noir