Herb & Caper Lamb Cutlets on Pea, Spinach and Lemon Crush
Prep time: 15 mins | Cook: 20 mins | Serves 4 | Excellent source of iron
A bright and fresh-looking dish with a lamb french rack yielding eight lamb cutlets. You could also use lamb rumps.
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 x lamb french rack with 8 cutlets
- Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning
- Herb paste
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs e.g. flat-leaf parsley, mint, basil
Pan jus
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup Campbell’s Real Stock – Salt Reduced Beef
- 1 tsp butter
Pea crush
- 3 cups frozen baby peas
- 1½ cups chopped spinach
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup cream
Method
Lamb
Trim any fat from the lamb rack and carefully remove the silverskin with a sharp knife. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over a very high heat. Sear the lamb racks for a couple of minutes until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Don’t wash the pan.
Herb paste
In a small food processor/mortar and pestle (or chop everything finely), mix the oil, capers, garlic and fresh herbs to a chunky paste. Smear the mixture generously over the cooled lamb racks and leave for 30 minutes, or longer if you have time.
Pan jus
Add the wine to the hot pan in which the lamb was cooked and let it bubble up for 30 seconds. Add the stock and simmer gently until reduced to a light sauce or jus, about 5-10 minutes. Whisk in the butter. Set aside and keep warm. Preheat the oven to 210°C.
Pea crush
Cook peas in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and place in a food processor with the spinach, lemon zest and juice, parmesan and cream. Process until well combined but still a little chunky. Taste and season as required (you can use a potato masher instead of a food processor). Do it when the peas are hot so they wilt the spinach.
Roast the lamb rack for 13-15 minutes, remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before slicing into two-bone pieces. Spoon some pea purée on four plates, top with a 2-bone piece of lamb rack and drizzle jus over. Serve with minted new potatoes.
Source: Beef + Lamb New Zealand, reproduced with permission.
