- Preparation time
- 15 mins
- Cooking time
- 45 mins
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Serves
- 4 people
- Meal course
- Dinner
- Posted by
- Posted on
- September 9, 2017
You might at first think Lamb rack and Risotto is an odd combination, but I can assure you there is nothing odd about how delicious this dish is.
The perfect dish to ring in Spring with, it’s so light and vibrant, the freshness of the green risotto against the rich roasted lamb is a match made in heaven. The only thing that could improve it…? Tangy, creamy goat cheese. Oh Em Gee, get in ma belly!
1 rack of Lamb with 8 cutlets – approx. 600gms
1 cup of Arborio rice
4 cups of good quality chicken stock
1 small leek – finely chopped
3 whole stalks of celery – stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved.
1 bunch of Asparagus – stalks chopped into 1cm pieces, heads left whole.
1 cup of frozen broad beans – defrosted and shelled.
1 tbs finely chopped fresh Dill
50gms of Butter
100gms of Goat Chèvre
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
- Preheat your fan-forced oven to 200°c.
- Heat the stock in a small saucepan. Once boiling, reduce to a very slow simmer, place the lid on the pot and set aside on a low flame until ready to use.
- Lightly oil and season the entire surface of your lamb rack. Heat a nonstick frypan over a high heat, then quickly sear the lamb on all sides until caramelized and brown, then transfer to a roasting tray and cook for 18 minutes (depending on thickness and size) for medium rare, or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, make the risotto. In a large heavy based saucepan, heat 3 tbs of oil and add the leeks. Once they have started to cook down add the celery stalks and continue cooking until they are starting to break down. At this stage, add the rice and season well, then cook stirring for a couple of minutes until the rice starts to become translucent and then start ladling in the stock, one ladle at a time, waiting until it is fully evaporated before adding any more. It should take around 15 minutes for all the stock to be incorporated. Once you are down to your last ladle of stock, add the asparagus, broad beans and dill. Cook for a further 2 minutes stirring well, then dot the butter over the top and place the lid on the pot. Leave in a warm place for 5 minutes to rest before adding half of the goat’s chèvre, seasoning well to taste and giving one final stir.
- Lightly dress the reserved celery leaves in a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil, then set aside.
- To serve - Carve the rack of lamb and divide the risotto between each plate with 2 cutlets. Dot the remaining chèvre over the risotto and garnish with the celery leaves.
- *** Tip: Whenever I make a risotto, I always have my ingredients chopped and measured before I start. You will find this early preparation makes this dish an absolute breeze to cook.
- *** Tip: it is incredibly important to rest your meat before carving. Meat is a muscle and while it cooks it constricts. Resting allows the muscle to relax and ensures you’ll have a beautiful, juicy and tender piece of cooked meat.
- *** Tip: If you are unsure about cooking whole cuts of meat, it would be a worthwhile investment to buy yourself a meat thermometer. There are many inexpensive options to choose from and it will take the worry and guesswork out of it for you.
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