Rack of lamb with charred snap peas

Name: Rack of lamb with charred snap peas
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 2-3
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1 rack of lamb with fat cap still attached; 500g small potatoes; 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil; 150g snap peas, stem end trimmed off; 60g butter, room temperature; 2 garlic cloves, grated on Microplane; 1 tsp lemon zest; 3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves (substitute with parsley if tarragon unavailable); 1 lemon, to serve

Danielle Alvarez

October 28, 2022

Spring lamb roast with garlic and tarragon butter.William Meppem

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:2-3

It's around this time of year that we start to think about swinging the doors open and cooking outside again but, if the weather doesn't co-operate, it's good to know you can still make delicious, smoky seasonal fare in the oven. Spring is the best time of year to be eating lamb and it's especially good when accompanied by sweet, charred snap peas, potatoes and topped with garlic and tarragon butter.

Ingredients

1 rack of lamb with fat cap still attached
500g small potatoes
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
150g snap peas, stem end trimmed off
60g butter, room temperature
2 garlic cloves, grated on Microplane
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves (substitute with parsley if tarragon unavailable)
1 lemon, to serve

Method

Step 1
Season the rack of lamb with salt and black pepper and leave it out, covered, to come to room temperature.
Step 2
Add potatoes to a pot, cover with cold water and add 2-3 pinches of salt. Bring to the boil, cook until totally tender – about 20 minutes – drain and set aside.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Place potatoes on a baking paper-lined tray and crush them with your hand. Drizzle with olive oil and toss so they're well coated. Place the rack of lamb, fat side up, in the centre of the tray with the potatoes around it. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes to an internal temperature of 60C for medium. Add another 10 minutes if you like well done.
Step 4
Heat a cast-iron skillet on high. When smoking hot, add a teaspoon of olive oil and toss in the snap peas. Cook until blackened on each side and set aside.
Step 5
Add the butter, garlic, lemon zest and tarragon to the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined. Set aside.
Step 6
When the lamb is ready, remove it from the tray, but leave the potatoes to continue roasting while the lamb rests for 10 minutes.
Step 7
After resting, slice the lamb into cutlets and return to the hot tray along with the snap peas. Sprinkle everything with a bit of salt. Spoon the butter onto the lamb, potatoes and peas and return to the oven for a minute or two to melt the butter further and get some heat into the lamb. Serve with lemon wedges.