Crumbed Lamb Guard of Honour with Quick Mint Gravy
Lamb racks are typically sold with 8 bones, so we’ve kept them whole (rather than trimming to 2 x 6 bone racks). So some lucky guests will get 3 cutlets each.
This rack of lamb is both impressive and delicious! Ideal for serving around Easter time, this lamb recipe has a salsa verde crust and is served alongside a quick mint gravy.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Cal/Serv:
304
Ingredients
2
x 8 bone racks of lamb, French trimmed (ask your butcher to do this)
1Tbsp.
olive oil
1Tbsp.
Dijon mustard
For the crumb
20g
parsley
Small handful mint sprigs, leaves picked
1Tbsp.
capers, drained
4
anchovies in oil, drained
2
garlic cloves, crushed
1/2Tbsp.
red wine vinegar
1Tbsp.
olive oil
25g
chopped roasted hazelnuts
1
medium egg yolk
25g
fresh white breadcrumbs
For the gravy
2
shallots, finely chopped
1Tbsp.
plain four
300ml
lamb stock
1Tbsp.
mint sauce
Directions
Step 1Using a small sharp knife remove any remaining fat and sinew from the surface of the meat. Next do the same with the rib bones (if your butcher hasn’t done this) by carefully scraping down the bones with the knife.
Step 2Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown racks all over, one at a time if needed, for couple of min per side. Lift on to a board (reserve pan) and leave until cool enough to handle. Join racks together so the ribs interlock, tying in place in a few sections with kitchen string. Transfer to a sturdy roasting tin.
Step 3Roast for 10min. Meanwhile make the crumb. Whizz parsley, mint leaves, capers, anchovies and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor until finely chopped. Scrape into a medium bowl and mix in remaining crumb ingredients.
Step 4Remove tin from oven. Brush meat with the mustard then press on the crumb, keeping the bones visible.
Step 5Return to oven for 20-25min for medium rare – a meat thermometer pushed into the centre of the thickest part of the meat should read about 60°C. Cook for longer, if you prefer.
Step 6Meanwhile, make the gravy. Return reserved pan to medium heat and fry shallots for 5min, until softened. Whisk in flour and cook for 1min. Take pan off heat and gradually whisk in stock. Return to heat and cook, whisking, until thickened. Bubble for a couple of min, then whisk in mint sauce and check seasoning.
Step 7Lift lamb on to a board, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10min. Serve the lamb, cutting between the bones (and removing the string as you go) with the mint gravy, reheated if needed.
Get ahead
Brown lamb, cool and tie together up to 6hr ahead. Put into the roasting tin, cover and chill. Make crumb up to 6hr ahead, cover and chill. Make gravy up to 6hr ahead, cool, cover and chill. To serve, allow lamb to come up to room temperature for 30min before completing recipe. Reheat gravy in a pan, thinning with more stock/water if needed.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
