FOOD IS THE WAY TO A PERSON’S HEART. THIS VALENTINE’S DAY, TURN UP THE ROMANCE AND TREAT YOUR SWEETHEART TO AN EXQUISITE HOMEMADE MEAL.
GemLife Chef Matt Conquest shares a step-by-step process of how he cooks a succulent oven-roasted lamb rack. The recipe is simple enough to replicate but your date will no doubt be dazzled by your expert culinary skills!
Lamb rack
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
- 1 x 8-point lamb rack
- 300gm green beans, lightly blanched
- 4 slices of prosciutto
- 400gm truss cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp garlic, crushed
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Olive oil
- 2 tbsp of your favourite herbs – rosemary, thyme or oregano, chopped
- Seasoning – salt and pepper
- Rocket leaves
METHOD
- Trim the bones of the lamb rack and leave the cap on, making criss-cross cuts into the cap.
- Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, mixed herbs and seasoning to make the marinade.
- Lay your rack of lamb in a tray and rub the marinade onto the lamb and into the cap. You can choose to wrap the bones with foil to prevent them drying out. Allow the rack to infuse the flavour at room temperature for half an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 170°C. While the loins are marinating, dry the blanched beans with paper towel, lay them on a plate and season lightly.
- Lay your 4 slices of prosciutto on a plate or board. Divide the beans into 4 lots and wrap the beans with the prosciutto slices to make 4 bean bundles. Keep them aside.
- Add oil and seasoning to the tomatoes and set them aside.
- Pre-heat a pan on the stove. Once the pan is hot, add a little oil and seal off the rack on the cap side and then the bottom side. Re-rub the rack with marinade, lay it on the tray and put it in the oven.
- After 10 minutes, place the bean bundles and truss tomatoes onto the oven tray to cook.
- Cooking times vary depending on how you like your meat cooked. For medium-rare, cook for 20 mins at 60-65°C. Cook for 25 minutes at 70-75°C for the lamb to be medium well to well done – use a thermometer to check internal temperature.
- Once it’s cooked, rest the lamb rack underfoil (to keep warm) for 5-10 minutes to allow it to become nice and juicy.
- Serve the lamb on a platter along with the cooked tomatoes and beans and decorate it with some rocket leaves. Slice through the rack to cut serving portions.
- You can accompany the dish with gravy, mint sauce/jelly, salsa verde or zesty gremolata.
Pop open your beau’s favourite bottle of wine and enjoy!