Rack of Welsh lamb recipe

Details

• Cuisine: Welsh
• Recipe Type: Main
• Difficulty: Hard
• Preparation Time: 80 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Serves: 4

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
2. To make the jus, take a heavy-bottomed saucepan or casserole dish and place it over a medium-high heat. Place the shallots in the pan and cook until golden in colour. Reduce the heat, add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and wine, and continue cooking until the pan is nearly dry.
3. Place the lamb bones in the oven and roast them for half an hour, until brown. Add them to the pan/casserole dish along with the tomato paste, fill with cold water to cover the contents and simmer for 12 hours. Make sure to discard any scum that floats to the top whilst the stock is simmering.
4. Take the dish off the heat, leave to cool and strain the contents through a chinois into a clean pan.
5. To prepare the sweetbreads, add them to the pan and cover with the milk. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Drain the sweetbreads, dry them using kitchen towel and cut into small, bite-sized chunks. Keep in the fridge until needed.
6. To make the potato fondant: peel the potato and cut it into 4 discs, each 4cm in diameter and 2-3cm high, using a metal pastry cutter if you have one. Sear the flat sides in a saucepan on medium-high heat, using a small drop of olive oil.
7. Cook them until golden, season with salt, and then add the thyme and stock (make sure the stock reaches ¾ up the sides of the potatoes). Simmer the potatoes on a gentle heat, cover the saucepan and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, until tender. Take them off the heat but keep the potatoes warm.
8. To make the vegetables, blanch the fennel, baby turnips and spring onion in salted boiling water for around 2 minutes each. Repeat this process for the tomatoes but for 30-60 seconds. Drain and sear the vegetables on a plancha or hot pan, adding a small drop of olive oil and salt to taste.
9. Using another pan, cook the peas and broad beans in salted boiling water. Drain them and refresh them in iced water. Remember to de-shell the broad beans before reheating them with the other vegetables.
10. Heat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5.
11. Leave the rack of lamb out at room temperature for roughly half an hour before cooking. Season with salt and pepper, then sear it in an ovenproof pan, cooking fat-side down at first. Once the lamb turns golden brown on all sides, heat in the oven for 8-10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool for another 4-5 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, use the salt and pepper to season the kidneys and sear them on a hot plancha/grill, with a drop of oil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Sear the sweetbreads, once they are a golden in colour, remove them from the heat but keep warm.
13. Cut the kidneys in half and arrange them with the vegetables on a plate. Carve the rack of lamb and add the cutlets to the plate, followed by the sweetbreads and hot lamb jus. Finally, top with some watercress before serving.