This dish is fast, simple, light, full of flavour and wonderful colours. A rack of lamb dish like this really is very quick to put together and makes a perfect fast lunch or dinner that tastes really fresh and succulent. The cool, sweet, subtle tastes and textures of the herbs and vegetables compliment the meaty, salty lamb and pancetta really well – and the herb crust on the lamb adds a wonderful textural element to the meat, and imparts some great extra flavour punchiness. Just a quick note for the sake of total disclosure – the vegetable part if this dish was inspired by the cooking of the immense Dominic Chapman from a recipe in which he pairs it with a confit of duck. I’ve changed the amounts and adjusted the flavours slightly, by omitting spring onion which he includes, as I felt the spring onion would be a flavour too far with the herb crust of the lamb. 

 INGREDIENTS

Herb Crusted Lamb

• Small, trimmed rack of lamb (mine was 300g)
• 150g of dry bread crumbs
• Sprig parsley
• Sprig thyme
• Sprig coriander
• Sprig rosemary
• 1 tablespoons English mustard
• splash of olive oil

Braised peas, lettuce, bacon, mint

• A large handful of garden peas
• 4 baby gem lettuce leaves
• 100g of diced Pancetta
• 20g of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 30g of butter

MUSIC I COOKED TO:

Preparation Method:

1. Place your herbs on a large chopping board and finely chop them together with the garlic.
2. Add them to the bread crumbs in a bowl.
3. Add light olive oil until the mixtures becomes well coated and fluid.
4. Place mixture into a mortar and pestle and crush into a fine crust. Set aside.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC
6. Place lamb on a cutting board. Generously season the lamb with salt and pepper – ensuring it’s thoroughly coated all over.
7. Heat some light, frying olive oil in an oven safe pan. Seal and brown the lamb all over.
8. Transfer the lamb in the pan into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Start to prepare the vegetables while the lamb is cooking.
9. In a large pan, start to fry the diced bacon on a medium heat until golden. Remove the bacon from the pan and keep in a warm place until required.
10. Remove the lamb from the oven and brush the top of the rack generously with the mustard. Dip the lamb into the crust mixture coating the top. Dip several times to ensure an even coating. Allow meat to rest for a bit.
11. Place it back into the oven for 3 minutes, remove, and allow to rest until ready to serve.
12. Increase the heat under the veg on the hob, add the butter and and small dash of water, stirring to emulsify in the pan. Add the 4 lettuce leaves and cook until just tender, but still green.
13. Next, add the peas and return the bacon back to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid in a colander, season to taste and add the fresh chopped mint to finish
14. Crave the lamb into individual chops.
15. To serve place the lettuce leaves on the centre of the plate, next add the minted peas and Pancetta. Place one or two chops on top of the vegetables and Pancetta.