Lamb rack with sheep's yoghurt, pickled courgette and mint salsa verde

  • medium
  • 2
  • 2 hours 30 minutes
Not yet rated

This stunning lamb rack recipe from chef Greg Cook is full of bright, summery flavours. The tartness of a fresh mint salsa verde and dried tomatoes balance out the rich lamb rack and croquettes beautifully.

First published in 2017

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Lamb rack

Strained sheep's yoghurt

Tomatoes

Lamb croquettes

Pickled courgette

  • 1 courgette, (small)
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar

Mint salsa verde

Confit potatoes

Equipment

  • Muslin cloth
  • Large pressure cooker
  • Blender

Method

1
To begin, place the sheep's yoghurt in a muslin cloth-lined bowl. Lift the cloth, tie up and suspend over a bowl. Leave to drain overnight in the fridge
2
Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1
3
Slice each tomato in half and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Cook in the oven for approximately 4 hours, until the tomatoes have dried out
4
To marinate the lamb racks, chop the herbs and rub all over the racks with the olive oil and crushed garlic cloves. Place in the fridge
5
Now prepare the lamb breast. Add a dash of oil to a large, hot saucepan and add the lamb breast and bones, shallots, carrot and garlic cloves. Cook until the lamb and vegetables are nicely browned
6
Add the tomato purée, cook for 1 minute, then drain off any lamb fat that has been released into the pan and reserve for later. Deglaze the pan with the sherry vinegar and reduce the vinegar by three quarters
7
Add the lamb stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any residue, then transfer everything to a pressure cooker. Cook for 1 hour, then carefully depressurise
8
Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add a sprig of rosemary and reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency. Pass through a fine sieve into a pan – if there is a lot of lamb fat on the surface, you can place the sauce in the fridge so that the fat sets solidly for easy removal
9
Shred the lamb meat and pick through to remove any pieces of sinew or fat. Place a double layer of cling film on a work surface and place the meat in a line down the centre. Roll the cling film around the meat to make a 3–4cm wide sausage and place in the fridge to set
10
For the confit potatoes, carefully turn (or peel) each potato. Heat the reserved lamb fat over a low heat in a pan and once melted, add the potatoes. Cook for 1 ½–2 hours or until until soft
11
For the mint salsa verde, simply add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blitz to a thick paste. Season to taste
12
Cut the courgette into thin ribbons and marinate in the oil and vinegar. Set aside
13
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5 and a deep-fryer to 170°C. Remove the lamb rack from the fridge to come up to temperature before cooking
14
Remove the lamb breast sausage from the fridge and use a very sharp knife to cut into even pieces, (don’t forget to remove the cling film from each piece.) Dust each croquette first in flour, then beaten egg, then finally a good coating of Panko breadcrumbs. Set aside in the fridge until ready to deep-fry
15
Place a pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the lamb rack fat-side down and cook until the fat is golden brown and slightly rendered. Turn over and sear for a further minute
16
Place in the oven for 8 minutes. After this time, insert a temperature probe – you’re looking for an internal temperature of 52°C. If it’s not ready, return to the oven and check back at 2 minute intervals
17
Remove the rack from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, gently reheat the lamb sauce
18
Deep-fry the croquettes until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper and season
19
Drain the courgette ribbons and place on a metal tray and blowtorch lightly
20
Carve the lamb rack into two equal pieces, sprinkle with sea salt and plate leaning against the croquette. Dress the plates with small spoonfuls of strained sheep's yoghurt, confit potatoes, tomatoes and courgette ribbons. Finish with some of the lamb sauce and the mint salsa verde

Greg is a self-taught head chef who has been cooking for twenty-five years.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.