Ingredients
Rosemary Lamb Rack
3 x 8 boned French lamb racks (ask your butcher to French trim your lamb racks)
2 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 tsp salt
Olive oil
Tomato Braised Beans
Olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
1 tbs dried oregano
½ cup white wine
2 tbs tomato paste
400g good quality tomato passata
3 x 400g can butter beans, drained
Salt and pepper
Charred Eschalots
4 eschalots, halved lengthways
Olive oil
Salt
Black Garlic Aioli
1 clove garlic
1 egg
½ tsp salt
2 cup sunflower oil
½ bulb black garlic
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs water
Gremolata
1 handful fresh mint leaves
2 handfuls fresh parsley leaves
½ handful fresh oregano leaves
2 cloves garlic
Zest 1 lemon
Zest 1 orange
6 tbs olive oil
Pinch of salt
For ease of service, you can prepare the beans, eschalots, aioli and gremolata ahead of time.
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix the rosemary and salt together and rub half onto the lamb. Set aside.
For the tomato braised beans, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the bay leaves, oregano and wine and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir through for a further minute. Add the tomato passata, washing the bottle out with a little water and adding that also. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Add the butter beans and stir to combine. Lower heat to medium/ low and simmer for 15-20 mins. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve. (Beans can be made ahead of time and reheated to serve.)
For the charred eschalots, heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Sprinkle in a good pinch of salt and place the eschalots, cut side down in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, removing when the onions are dark brown/ black and charred on the cut side. Remove from pan and place, cut side down, in a baking dish. Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until onions are a little softened. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, peel away the skin and separate the layers of the onion. You should end up with something that looks like petals. Set aside until ready to serve. (Eschalots can be done ahead of time, they don’t need to be hot when serving.)
For the black garlic aioli, place the garlic, egg, and salt into the bowl of a small food processor. Process until garlic is finely chopped and mixture is starting to go a creamy colour. In a very slow and steady stream, with the motor running, add the sunflower oil. When you have added all of it, you should have a thick and creamy aioli. Add the black garlic, white wine vinegar and water and continue to process until creamy. (Aioli can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
For the gremolata, place all ingredients in food processor and process until well combined. (Gremolata can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
When ready to serve, heat a frying pan over medium/high heat, drizzle in some olive oil and add the lamb racks. Sear all over until well browned. You may need to do this in batches. Put the lamb into a baking tray and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25mins for medium/ rare to medium. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining rosemary salt and allow to rest for 10mins before cutting each rack in half to serve.
To serve, place warmed beans on plates with the lamb on top. Place a spoonful of aioli on the side and a few eschalot petals. Place a spoonful of gremolata on top of the lamb and serve. If desired, serve with some shared plates of salad, roasted potatoes, and sourdough.
