Herb crusted rack of lamb, Grilled Baby Asparagus and Butternut Mash

Herb crusted rack of lamb, Grilled Baby Asparagus and Butternut Mash

I think the combination of the three dishes complement each other very well. I like my lamb quite rare so if you prefer it cooked a bit more, just turn the oven down slightly and cook the meat for another 10 -15 min.

 You’ll need:

For the Rack of Lamb -

1 x rack of lamb – French trim, clean bones and a thin layer of fat

3 x cloves of garlic

Hand full flat leaf parsley – chopped roughly

3 x sprigs of fresh thyme

1 x sprig rosemary

Half a ciabatta roll – best a day old stale bread

Olive oil

Dijon mustard – 4 Tbsp

For the Grilled Asparagus –

1 x Punnet of Baby Asparagus Spears

Olive Oil

Zest of a Lemon and the juice of Half a Lemon

Freshly Ground salt & Pepper

For the Butternut Mash –

 

2 – 3 Medium Butternuts – peeled, seeded and cubed

100ml Fresh Cream

Salted Butter

1Tbsp of Brown Sugar

1Tbsp Ground Turmeric

Freshly Ground Salt & Pepper

Method:

In a blender, add the stale bread, garlic cloves, thyme, parsley, rosemary and blend till all is fine breadcrumbs. Spread the bread crumbs on a baking tray to air out while busy with the lamb. Pre heat a sauce pan to a very high heat, add a splash of olive oil, and then season the lamb well. Sear the lamb fat side down first for a few minutes till golden and crisp, use a tong to make sure the meat is browned off all over. Remove and cool slightly. Pre heat the oven to 200c. Spread rack of lamb evenly with the Dijon mustard, press some of the breadcrumbs then leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. This will help the crust to stick better to the lamb when cooked and for cutting afterwards.  Then bake for 15 -19min for rare, but you can go for 25min just keep an eye on the crumbs so it will not burn.

Steam the Butternut till just tender, strain and return to the pot, add the turmeric and butter before blitzing with a stick blender till pureed. While blending over a low heat add the butter and a little cream at a time, till you are happy with the colour and consistency. Season to taste and cook for 5 -10min over a very low heat.

Heat a grill pan on high. In a mixing bowl mix half the lemon zest, olive oil and baby asparagus spears, make sure all the asparagus are covered with oil. Turn the heat to medium and grill the asparagus for 5 -10min depending on the size. Try to get nice and even char marks on the spears. Once cooked shock with the lemon juice the rest of the zest a splash of olive oil and season.

Pair this meal with a good Shiraz red wine.