Episode 10: Rack of Lamb with Fondant Potatoes, Thyme Jus, Herb Crumb and Broccolini

Rack of Lamb with Fondant Potatoes, Thyme Jus, Herb Crumb and Broccolini from My Kitchen Rules New Zealand with Ara Wines

What a finish! Thanks so much for joining us on our epic journey through the MKR kitchen. Congratulations to the winners!

Matt and Kurt, competitors from My Kitchen Rules New Zealand

Ingredients

Rack of lamb, x 2 racks of 6 Beef stock 800 ml Red wine 300 ml

Potatoes, one to two medium Agria potatoes per person

Fresh thyme

Bay leaf

Butter

Chicken stock

Broccolini

Shallots

Cornflour

Salt Pepper Fresh Rosemary Whole grain mustard

Honey

Olive oil Brown sugar Red Wine vinegar x 25 ml

Flour - 2 cups Butter - 150g Fresh Thyme Lemon

Method

What order should I work in ?

First, prepare all your veg and remove your lamb from the fridge to get to room temperature. Sear off your lamb and rest. Now get going with your jus. Then blanch your broccolini until tender and into iced water. Next make your crumb and get it into the oven. Now for your fondant potatoes, and while they are cooking, get onto finishing and then resting your lamb. Finish off your jus, saute your broccolini in hot oil for a minute or so, then add a knob of butter, some garlic, and a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of zest. Remove fondant potatoes from the oven. Serve with a glass of Ara Single Estate Pinot Noir.

Lamb

Dry off your lamb. Season well and sear fat side down in a fry pan in a little oil , then sear on remaining sides until all sides have good caramelisation. Remove from the pan and leave to rest. Once it's rested, rub over a mixture of honey, butter and mustard. Place on a wire rack on a baking tray, fat side up and roast at 180 degrees celsius for around 12-15 minutes until cooked to medium rare. Once removed, allow to rest for at least 10 minutes on a warm plate with a tin foil tent.

Fondant Potatoes

Peel and shape your potatoes so that they are all of equal size. Cut the top and bottom off so that you have two flat sides, potatoes should be around two inches high. Heat some vegetable oil in an oven proof fry pan until it's hot, then add potatoes, flat side down. Season the opposite side and fry until there is good colour on both sides. Then add a little butter and fresh thyme; baste the potatoes with the melted butter. Pour in chicken stock until it's a third of the way up on the potatoes. Transfer to the oven at 200 degrees celsius and roast for twenty minutes, then flip the potatoes over, ensure there is still a little stock and cook for a further 15-20 minutes or until they are golden on the outside and melting on the inside.

Herb Crumb

Put flour and butter into a food processor with some chopped thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, blitz until combined. Place dough onto a sheet of baking paper and place another sheet on top. Roll the dough using a rolling pin between the sheets of baking paper until thin. Bake at 180 degrees until golden. Remove from the oven and while hot, cut into small squares. Leave to cool.

Thyme Jus

In the pan that the lamb was seared off in, add a little olive oil, and shallots, sweat until the shallots are caramelised, add red wine, vinegar, sugar, herbs, and simmer until liquid has halved. Pour in beef stock and reduce again until liquid has halved. Strain off liquid into a fresh pan and bring to boil, then remove from heat and whisk in around 25 gms of cold, cubed butter, adding a cube at a time, season to taste.

Broccolini

Blanch in salted boiling water until tender. Transfer into iced water. In a fry pan, heat a little oil, saute your broccolini on high heat, adding a little butter, garlic and squeeze of lemon, pinch of zest, to finish.

Assembly

On the plate, put a generous spoon of jus.

Place one or two potatoes on top of the jus. Lean a section of two or three lamb cutlets against the potatoes. Place two stems of Brocollini, head down, leaning on the top of the lamb.

Place a piece of the shortbread crumb on top of the cutlet.