Lamb Rack In Red Wine Sauce With Micro Leaves
Cooking at home can feel like such a treat, can’t it? Especially when you stumble upon something as tempting as a New Zealand lamb rack during your supermarket run. One look at its fresh, tender appearance, and I was sold. It practically begged to be part of my Sunday lunch plans.
But I wasn’t going to settle for a simple roast. Oh no, I decided to elevate it with a red wine sauce and pair it with a micro leaves salad—hello, pea shoots and red radish sprouts! These tiny greens not only taste delightful but also add that little “je ne sais quoi” to the plate.
My Journey with Lamb: From Uni Cafes to French Fine Dining
Lamb wasn’t a staple in my family growing up. My mum’s kitchen stayed loyal to seafood, pork, chicken, and the occasional vegetable stir-fry. It wasn’t until I was off at university, experimenting with all sorts of cuisines, that I discovered the wonders of red meat.
The real game-changer? A trip to France, where I first tasted Pyrenean milk-fed lamb—a delicacy that redefined tender and succulent. These lambs are raised in the Pyrenees, suckling exclusively on their mother’s milk for up to 42 days. The result is melt-in-your-mouth meat with the most delicate flavour.
Now, while my supermarket lamb wasn’t quite from the Pyrenees, it still looked irresistible. Sometimes, good food is about simplicity, so I decided to keep things classic.
Keeping It Simple: The Perfect Lamb Rack
I seasoned the lamb rack generously with salt and pepper, sealed it in a hot grill for that beautiful crust, and then popped it in the oven. Here’s the golden rule for oven temperatures and cooking times to achieve your preferred level of doneness:
Rare: 200°C for 20-25 minutes
Medium: 30-35 minutes
Well done: 40-45 minutes
A little tip? Check the doneness as you go along because everyone’s oven has its quirks (and let’s face it, nobody wants to overcook a gorgeous lamb rack). I personally lean towards medium—juicy and flavourful, but still cooked through enough to feel indulgent.
Finishing Touches: The Red Wine Sauce
Ah, the red wine sauce. This little gem adds richness and depth to the dish, complementing the lamb perfectly. It’s the kind of sauce that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a French bistro—without leaving your kitchen.
So there you have it: a New Zealand lamb rack, crisp and juicy, served with a lush red wine sauce and a fresh micro leaves salad. It’s simple yet sophisticated—just the way a Sunday lunch should be. Bon appétit!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
300g rack of lamb
salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
250ml red wine
300ml beef/chicken stock
20g butter
50g pea shoots
50g red radish sprouts
80g red watercress
some extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven at 200°C. Season the rack of lamb with salt and pepper. Heat up a grill pan and when it’s hot enough, grill each side of the rack for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a roasting tray, covered with foil and continue to cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes for rare, 30-35 minutes for medium and 40-45 minutes for well done.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, add in the shallots and carrot in olive oil. Cook until they are soft and slightly caramelised. Add the red wine, cook until all the alcohol has evaporated and reduced until it becomes syrupy. Pour in the beef stock, reduce until the sauce reached a coating consistency. Sieve into a bowl, discard the solid. Return the liquid into the saucepan and bring to a simmer, add the butter, whisk until the sauce thicken. Keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, add all the salad leaves in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and dressed with some extra virgin olive oil.
4. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to stand, covered, in a warm place for 10 minutes to allow the juices to be absorbed back into the meat. Cut the lamb into individual cutlets, pour over some red wine sauce and served with dressed micro leaves.
