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Roasted lamb rack with quinoa salad and yoghurt-tahini dressing
Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2 x 9-cutlet lamb racks, fat scored in a crosshatch pattern, at room temperature
- 2tsp ground cumin, plus extra to serve
- 1tbsp olive oil
For the quinoa salad
- 250g quinoa
- 300g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, quartered, seeds removed and cut into chunks
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 120ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2tbsp red wine vinegar
- large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- squeeze of lemon juice
For the yoghurt-tahini dressing
- 300g Greek-style yoghurt
- 2tsp tahini
- 1tsp honey
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/ Gas 7. Place the lamb racks on a chopping board and season generously with the cumin and 1tbsp salt, using your fingers to rub the spice and the salt into the score marks. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat, add the olive oil and sear the lamb for 2-3 minutes until golden brown all over, then transfer to a roasting tin. Roast until cooked to your liking (see note, below), covering the lamb with foil if it’s getting too brown, then set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the quinoa salad, cook the quinoa in a saucepan of salted boiling water for around 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well, and then spread on a tray to cool. Transfer to a bowl, add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and garlic and season to taste. Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar, add the parsley and a squeeze of lemon and toss to combine.
To make the yoghurt-tahini dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and whisk until smooth.
To serve, cut each rack of lamb into 3-cutlet sections, season with extra cumin and serve alongside the quinoa salad and yoghurt-tahini dressing.
Note As a guide, cook the lamb racks for 15-20 minutes for rare, 20-25 minutes for medium-rare, 30 minutes for medium and 35-40 minutes for well done.
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