Try this fantastic lamb recipe by chef Adrian Martin!
Ingredients
– 1 rack of lamb cut in half (3 bones per serving)
– Salt/pepper
– Oil
– For the crust
– 4 slices of stale bread made into crumbs.
– Small bunch or parsley
– 4 Sprigs of thyme
– 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
– Crispy Potato Rosti
– 1 large baking potato
– 3 tbsp camelina oil
– Sea salt
– Red Wine Sauce
– 4tbsps balsamic vinegar
– 150ml red wine
– 1tsp light brown sugar
– 150ml beef or lamb stock
– 1tsp fresh thyme leaves
– Cornflour for thickening mixed with water
Optional
Why not slice up 2 heads of little gem lettuce thinly and sauteed off in some oil for 2-3 minutes in a saucepan until wilted and season with seasalt to taste. You can serve your lamb on top of this.
Method
For the lamb
Place lamb on a chopping board fat side up. Lightly score the fat layer with a sharp knife. Next, generously sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Mop up the excess seasoning with the rack of lamb, ensuring it’s thoroughly coated.
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Seal the lamb by placing each side in the oil long enough to develop colour. It’s simple, no colour, equals no taste. Make sure you brown the lamb.
Transfer the lamb into a preheated oven at 190oC and bake for 7-8 minutes. Prepare the crust while the lamb is cooking.
Place all of the ingredients for the crust except the mustard into a blender and pulse several times until it looks nice and green. Pour the mixture into a deep dish (bowl or plate) and set aside.
Remove the lamb from the oven and brush generously with mustard. Dip the lamb into the crust mixture coating it completely. Dip several times to ensure an even coating. Allow meat to rest for a bit.
Place it back into the oven for 3-4 minutes when you’re ready to serve. Slice through each chop once ready. Best served pink.
For the Rosti
Peel the potato, then grate the flesh using the coarse side of a grater, a mandolin or a Benriner
mandolin slicer, which I find is the best of all Squeeze out all the excess water and place the
grated potato in a bowl, then season with salt.
Heat 4 x 10cm (4in) blini pans (or use a straight-sided cutter placed on a frying pan). Add a
good film of oil to the pan. Divide the potato mixture into 4 portions and using 2 forks,
spread each portion evenly into the pans, separating out the strands of potatoes. Cook over a
low heat for 5–6 minutes, until golden brown, turning regularly and using the forks to
separate out the strands as necessary.
For the Sauce
Heat a small pan and pour in the vinegar and red wine. Boil until reduced by half and then add the sugar, stock and thyme and reduce to a sauce consistency which should coat the back of a spoon. Thicken if needed with cornflour and keep warm until serving
Serve it all up on a nice plate with the little gem it you are using, the rack of lamb on top, lean the rostie on the lamb and then spoon over that amazing sauce.
Chef Adrian Martin is the Ambassador for the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland. Starting at a very young age, Chef Adrian trained in some of Ireland’s most renowned restaurants including Mac Nean House and Bon Appetit. He also holds a degree in culinary arts from the School Of Tourism Killybegs. He now travels the country spending a week in your local Craft Butcher, developing new product ideas, promoting the local Craft Butcher through television and radio, introducing school kids to their Craft Butcher shop, and conducting cookery demonstrations for charities. Adrian also writes his weekly and monthly columns for Woman’s Way Cookbook, Food For Thought and Woman’s Way Magazine. The Herald describes Adrian as “the new young up and coming talented celebrity chef”. Winning several awards from Chef Ireland 2013 Adrian is one not to be missed.