Rack of Lamb with Puy Lentils and Red Wine Jus or Paloise Sauce
Our Kerry mountain lamb feeds on the beautiful wild mountain herbs giving it its distinct and special flavour. Kerry lamb is used in all good kitchens and Connemara lamb is equally fantastic. In the restaurant, before we roasted the lamb, we would divide the best end into two allowing a rack of 4 cutlets per portion. We cooked the rack whole and sliced into 4 cutlets per portion before serving. Fat should be left on the meat to protect it and give it a greater flavour. In spring and early summer, paloise is a superb sauce to accompany the lamb – this is a bearnaise using mint instead of tarragon – or it can be served with a fast and easy red wine jus using the residue in the roasting pan. In late summer and autumn, a stronger flavoured rich red wine sauce can be used, enhanced with rosemary and garlic.
Ingredients
Serves 4
• 2 best ends of lamb with fat on, French trimmed by your butcher (4 racks of 4 cutlets per person, each rack cooked whole)
• 20g butter, melted
• 250g puy lentils (or dark speckled), washed under water until the liquid runs clear
• 55g butter
• 3 shallots, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• A few sprigs of rosemary, to garnish
Serving suggestions: Buttered carrots, colcannon, roast beetroot, sugar snaps with mint garden peas
Method
Preheat the oven to fan 200°C / fan 400°F / gas mark 7.
Brush the meat with the melted butter on both sides. Heat an ovenproof pan over a medium-high heat. Add the lamb fat side down to seal for 2-3 minutes per side or until all the fat is golden brown. Move the pan into the oven and cook for about 15 -20 minutes for rare, 20-25 minutes for medium rare or longer depending on how well cooked you would like the lamb and depending on your oven. Cooking time will depend on the meat and on your oven. Remove the lamb from the pan and rest for 10 minutes.
To cook the lentils, add the lentils to a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils have just a small bite to them. Drain and rinse well. In another small saucepan, melt the butter over a low-medium heat. Add the shallots, cover and sweat gently for 10 minutes or until very soft. Stir in the carrots and thyme and sweat for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils and season to taste.
Serve 4 cutlets per person with the puy lentils and sauce.
Paloise Sauce
The paloise sauce is magical with roast lamb, like a classic béarnaise with fillet steak. To make the paloise, make an egg base with a traditional reduction, then remove from the food processor and stir in 2 tbsp of chopped mint leaves. The egg base alone can be used as an instant hollandaise sauce flavoured with 1 tbsp of lemon juice for egg dishes or vegetables. The traditional reduction can be added to the egg base to make a more robust sauce.
Ingredients
Makes 200-250ml
Egg Base:
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 225g butter
Traditional Reduction:
• 30g butter
• 3 black peppercorns, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar
• 50g finely diced shallots (around 2 shallots, but will depend on size)
• 150ml white wine vinegar
• 75ml white wine
• 75ml water
Paloise
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
Method
For the egg base, in a small saucepan, melt the butter until it starts to boil then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, place the water and yolks in a food processor and blend until pale and fluffy. Very gradually start to pour the hot foaming butter via the funnel into the processor, keeping the motor running, until it starts to emulsify. You can then add the remaining butter more swiftly while still hot. For the traditional reduction, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the shallots and pepper. Cover and sweat for 10 minutes or until the shallots are soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and wine and reduce for 5-8 minutes or until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Add the water and boil to reduce by two thirds. Strain the reduction through a sieve, pressing gently to obtain as much liquid as possible and discard the shallots and peppercorns. If necessary, further reduce the liquid to about 1 tbsp by returning the liquid to the pan. Add the reduction into the egg base in the food processor via the funnel as above. Remove from the food processor and stir in 2 tbsp of chopped mint leaves.
Red Wine Jus
This sauce is made in the roasting pan using the residue and flavour from the roasted meat.
Ingredients
• Residue, juices and remaining 1 tsp of fat in meat roasting pan
• 1 tsp plain white flour
• 240ml red wine
• 240ml water
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Method
Strain off the excess fat from the pan in which the meat was roasted, leaving the residue and juices and at least 1 tsp of fat in the roasting pan. Over a low heat on the stove, sprinkle the flour into the roasting pan and mix well, being sure to scrape the bottom the pan to keep the precious sediment. Increase the heat to medium and add the wine and water, then simmer for 10 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Transfer to a medium saucepan and reduce the liquid over a high heat to around 250ml. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and season to taste.