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Rack of lamb with a black garlic and parsley crust and bean salad
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 500g rack or 8 ribs lamb, French-trimmed, with most of the fat removed
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 2 black garlic cloves
- 2 large rosemary sprigs
- 4 thyme stems
- 1⁄4tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1tsp pomegranate molasses
For the herb crust
- 3 black garlic cloves
- 3tbsp freshly made breadcrumbs (around 1 slice of bread, crusts removed)
- 1⁄4tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 15g parsley, leaves removed
- 3 thyme stems, leaves picked off
For the haricot and tomatoes
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 500g ripe tomatoes, skinned
- 4 black garlic cloves, smeared to a paste
- 3⁄4tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pinches dried oregano
- 1 x 400g can haricot or flageolet beans, drained and rinsed
Method
Put the lamb in a deep but small dish and add all but 1tbsp of the oil. Pop the black garlic cloves from their skin and smear on a board using a heavy cook’s knife, then rub into the lamb flesh.
Add the thyme sprigs and black pepper. Massage the mixture into the lamb flesh and chill for up to 2 days or overnight.
When ready to cook, bring the lamb back to room temperature before cooking or put in a coolish place to marinate in the morning, ready to cook later in the day.
Half and core the skinned tomatoes, then quarter and deseed, squeezing the seeds into a sieve set over a bowl. Squash the fleshy seeds with a ladle to extract the juices, then discard them. Chop the tomato flesh and add to the juices in the bowl.
Sit a pan on a medium heat and add 4tbsp of the oil. When sizzling, add the chopped tomatoes all in one go. Add the pepper and cook on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then stir in the squashed garlic and cook for a further 7 minutes, or until it thickens nicely. For the last 4 minutes, make sure it isn’t sticking; lower the heat if need be. Turn off the heat and stir in the rest of the extra virgin olive oil and the drained and rinsed haricot beans.
Preheat the oven to 220C/ 180C Fan/Gas 7. Salt the lamb flesh 20 minutes before cooking.
Mix the breadcrumbs with the pepper and some sea salt flakes in a bowl. Pop the black garlic cloves from their skins and smear on a board using a heavy cook’s knife. Chop the parsley and thyme into the garlic, then rub into the crumb mixture. Heat a large frying pan on a low-medium heat and add the final spoonful of oil. Sear the lamb for a few minutes on each side.
Transfer it to a shallow roasting tin with the marinade underneath. Brush the flesh side with the pomegranate molasses and press the crumb mixture onto it. Roast for 20-30 minutes (cover with foil if overbrowning) until the crumb is golden and the lamb still has a little give when pressed, if you like it less pink, give it longer. Lift onto a warm plate, cover lightly and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Slice into cutlets and serve with the haricot and tomatoes.
This recipe was taken from the April 2020 issue of Food and Travel.
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