This oven-roasted rack of lamb is easy to make and incredibly tasty. Scatter with croutons and olives for a Mediterranean touch.
Ingredients
- 300g rack of lamb, bones trimmed of any meat or fat
- 3 tbsp Belazu green tapenade (from Sainsbury’s)
- ½ ciabatta
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 280g chargrilled or roasted peppers in olive oil
- 50g small Spanish black olives (we like couchillo olives)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Season the lamb and spread the skin side with 2 tbsp tapenade. Whizz 20g of the ciabatta in a small food processor to make breadcrumbs, then mix with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Season, then press onto the tapenade to form a crust.
- 2. Wrap the bones in foil, then roast the rack on a baking tray for 15-18 minutes in the top half of the oven until the crust is golden and the lamb is pink. Cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes.
- 3. Meanwhile, slice the peppers thickly and divide between 2 serving plates. Scatter over the olives. In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp olive oil with the rest of the tapenade. Tear the remaining ciabatta into 2.5cm cubes (you will need about 75g ciabatta), then coat in the tapenade mixture. Fry over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden all over. Scatter the croutons over the peppers and olives, then sprinkle with parsley. Slice the rested lamb into cutlets, divide between the 2 plates and serve.
Chef's tip
Turn this into a summer salad – omit the lamb and stir in handfuls of green leaves and cherry tomato halves