Lamb Rack With Spring Greens and Tarragon Sauce

Spring has sprung and with that comes new lamb and seasonal greens. This lamb rack is the perfect date night or dinner party special for this blossoming weather (but can really be enjoyed all year around). 

SERVES 4

Prep time 20 minutes (plus marinating)

Cook 35 minutes (plus resting)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lamb racks of 6 cutlets each, cap on, about 450g each
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for cooking
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme, plus extra sprigs for roasting
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary, plus extra sprigs for roasting
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
• 200ml dry white wine
• 200g (1¼ cups) peas
• 350g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-4 cm lengths
• 200g broad (fava) beans
• Extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, for dressing

Tarragon sauce

• 60ml (¼ cup) milk
• 30g day-old crustless sourdough bread, torn
• 150ml olive oil
• ½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 25ml white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Stir the olive oil, herbs, garlic and lemon zest in a large bowl to combine, season with salt and pepper, add the lamb and massage to coat it well. Arrange several thyme and rosemary sprigs in a roasting tin, place the lamb racks on top and set aside to marinate and come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, to make the tarragon sauce, combine the milk and bread in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes until the bread into a food processor or blender with the olive oil, tarragon, parsley, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Process until smooth and finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer the lamb to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Add the wine to the roasting tin and roast for a further 8–10 minutes for medium-rare; internal temperature will read 52°C on a thermometer. Cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes; the meat will continue to cook as it rests and the internal temperature will reach 55°C.

4. While the lamb is resting, blanch the peas and asparagus in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes until tender and bright green. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Add the broad beans to the water and blanch for 1–2 minutes until bright green and just tender, then remove with a slotted spoon. Double-peel the broad beans if they’re large and add to the other vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

5. Serve the lamb racks and spring greens with the tarragon sauce and any resting juices from the roasting tin.