Simple food to warm us on these winter days, this pan-fried rack of lamb recipe comes served with a rustic ratatouille. The vegetables in ratatouille – which include courgette and aubergine – are cooked in stages to keep the texture and enhancing the final result. The rack of lamb can be grilled or put on the barbecue but I prefer it done in a medium to high heat in a solid pan just to sear it before reducing the heat, adding garlic and thyme butter which is used to constantly baste the lamb; some would say it’s a bit of a faff but the taste is spectacular and well worth the effort.
Ingredients
Rack of lamb
- 1 rack of lamb, with 8-10 ribs, French-trimmed
- 1/2 head of garlic, crushed or minced
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Ratatouille
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- 1 large aubergine, cut into 2cm wide cubes
- 2 red peppers, sliced lengthways and cut into 2cm squares
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 3 courgettes, diced into 3cm cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 6 sage leaves
- 1/2 head of garlic
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp of caster sugar
- water
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Preparation
1 – Make a marinade for the lamb rack by mixing 4 tbsp of olive oil, ½ a head of garlic and a generous amount of salt and pepper to taste. Marinate the rack of lamb, cover with cling film and leave to rest for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge
- 1 rack of lamb
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 head of garlic
- salt
- black pepper
2 – To start the ratatouille, preheat the oven to 80ºC. Blanch the tomatoes for few seconds in boiling salted water to take the skin off, then plunge the tomatoes in cold water. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the core and pulp using a small sharp knife
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- salt
3 – Place the tomato flesh in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper and 1 tbsp of caster sugar. Stir well
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- salt
- black pepper
4 – Spread the tomatoes on a baking tray and add 3 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay leaf and ½ a head of garlic – slightly crushed open. Cook the tomatoes in the oven at 80°C for 2 hours. Once cooked, remove the garlic cloves and herbs and cut the tomatoes in half
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/2 head of garlic
5 – Sauté the cubes of aubergine in a pan over a medium heat with olive oil, 3 chopped cloves of garlic, sage leaves and salt and pepper. Stop cooking when they are tender and cover with a lid to keep them moist. Remove the sage and reserve
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 sage leaves
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 large aubergine
6 – Cook the peppers over a medium heat in a sauté pan with the chopped onions, balsamic vinegar, a dash of water, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper
- 2 red peppers
- 2 red onions
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- water
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
7 – Once suitably sautéed, remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pan with the lid on. Reserve
8 – Dice the courgettes into 1cm cubes and sauté in a pan over a medium heat with 3 cloves of peeled and chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 sprigs of chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Cook gently until lightly coloured and soft. Allow to cool in the pan with a lid on and reserve
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 courgettes
- salt
- black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
9 – To cook the lamb rack, remove the lamb from the marinade and preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. On a hot griddle pan or barbecue, place the lamb skin-side down and seal until it starts to crisp. Grill with care on all sides before placing the lamb on a roasting tray, covering with the remaining marinade
10 – Finish in the oven for about 10 minutes to achieve a medium-rare finish. To check the temperature of the lamb, simply stick a small knife into the flesh, then put it carefully on your lips. If it is warm then the meat is pink and ready. Strain the pan juices and set aside the lamb to rest for 4-5 minutes
11 – Combine all of the ratatouille ingredients in a large saucepan and reheat gently until warm
12 – Serve the ratatouille onto plates and place the pieces of pan-fried rack of lamb on top. Drizzle with the strained pan juices