In New Zealand we have many more sheep than people and lamb is a common meat on our dinner plates and there is nothing more succulent than a sweet rack of lamb. If you cook it properly, there is nothing more delicious. I found the herb crust I used in the latest edition of Dish magazine. Cook this exactly the way I say and you will have success every time with this cut of meat. Serve it with pureed potatoes, a little tomato salad and a nice mint jelly sauce.
Rack of Lamb
Author: Suzanne Perazzini
Ingredients
- 2 x racks of lamb
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup of packed parsley
- 1 tsp of garlic-infused oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds
- ¾ cup fresh gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Season the meat.
- Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil and brown the racks on both sides. Cool a little.
- For the crust, put the parsley, paprika and zest in a food processor and chop finely.
- Add the almonds, breadcrumbs and oils and pulse to combine.
- Spread the top of the racks with the mustard and press on the breadcrumb mixture.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes for medium rare lamb.
- Rest loosely covered for 5 minutes before carving.
A rack of lamb, in one form or another, used to appear on this table quite often – perhaps you are luckier in NZ than we are here, but it has become a veritable luxury price-wise comparable to abalone, saffron and caviar 🙂 ! Seriously, you have made a lovely crust, but I have to admit my preference is for far rarer meat D !
It is not a cheap cut of meat and I agree about the meat not being rare enough. It was perfect when I had rested it but the photography process always takes time and it kept cooking so was not exactly as I would have preferred it but it was still melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Suzanne
I wish I lived in New Zealand so I could eat lamb all the time:) It’s so rare and hard to find here. I only enjoy it at restaurants or on the rare occasion that it’s in the grocery store. Your rack of lamb is making my mouth water- it looks amazing!
It is a popular but expensive dish here in New Zealand, which is quite coveted. We usually keep it for special occasions.
Suzanne
I love lamb, that almond & parsley crust looks incredible!
The crust was so delicious, I was picking up the fallen bits from the cutting board.
Suzanne
These look so delicious. I love rack of lamb, it’s such a special meal. We’re finding in Sydney that because a lot of the sheep were killed off in the drought that lamb has gone from being everyday fare to a luxury item. It’s so expensive. Quality racks of lamb can be as much as $60/kg and so we’re just not eating them as much as we would like. Great recipe and I love your presentation xx
Thanks, Charlie. It is certainly not cheap here either and we don’t eat it that often but it does look pretty in photos.
Suzanne
This looks absolutely AMAZING! We love lamb, but I admit I have never attempted a rack of lamb. I don’t think I would want to share this meal – I’d keep it all for myself!
That is a problem, Laura. Because it is expensive, we don’t buy enough and we fight over the last chop.
Suzanne
I’ve never made lamb but my grandma used to. Your photo looks so good!
It used to be the most common meat here in New Zealand in my grandmother’s day but now it is no cheaper that anything else and some cuts are more expensive. We used to live on a farm and we ate our own meat so it’s hard to reconcile that with what it costs now to eat it.
Suzanne
New Zealand lamb is the best I’ve ever tasted – just superb. And rack of lamb is one of my favorite lamb dishes. Good recipe – thanks.
It was a good recipe. I liked the extra crunch in the crust which came from the almonds.
Suzanne
That looks quite impressive!
Thanks, Clara.
Suzanne
Bellissimo il tuo blog, e tu sei bravissima! Baci
Thanks so much, Luna. It’s been a pleasure meeting you on Facebook.
Suzanne