Rack of Lamb: Kiwi Style

New Zealand is renowned around the world for the quality of its lamb. This recipe takes all the risk out of cooking the quintessential lamb dish – lamb racks. The most important thing to remember here is that your oven needs to be really hot before the lamb racks go in. It’s also important to rest the meat for almost as long as you roast it. Covering it with tin foil and tea-towels keeps it warm before carving and ensures an evenly cooked, moist result.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus marinating
Cook time: 16-20 minutes, plus resting
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
3 lamb racks, trimmed, or 3-4 lamb rumps
4 tbsp salsa verde (see below)
Flaky salt and ground black pepper

To serve:
Broad bean mash
Extra salsa verde (see below)

To make the salsa verde:

Puree 100g parsley leaves, about 40 chopped chives, 250ml extra virgin olive oil, 4 tbsp capers, 3 garlic cloves, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, ground black pepper, 1/4 small red onion, chopped, 8-10 anchovies and the yolk of 1 hard-boiled egg in a food processor until smooth.

Makes 500ml.

Salsa verde keeps in a covered jar in the fridge for about a week or it can be frozen.

Preparing the lamb racks:

Rub the lamb all over with salsa verde and season with salt and pepper. Cover and stand for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 12 hours. If you do put the lamb in the fridge, take it out 30 minutes before cooking so it can reach room temperature before going into the oven.

When you are ready to eat, preheat oven to 230˚C. Transfer lamb to an oven tray or heavy cast iron dish and roast for 16-20 minutes or until it is done to your preference. Remove the dish from the oven, cover it with tinfoil and then place a couple of clean cloths over the top to keep it warm while it rests for 10-15 minutes.

Slice between the bones to separate the lamb rack into cutlets and serve on a bed of broad bean mash, accompanied by an extra dish of salsa verde.