Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Quinoa Salad and Tahini Sauce - Chef Recipe by Neil Perry

Ingredients

2 x 8-bone racks of lamb
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
20g thyme sprigs
8 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 tsp ground sumac
135g tahini
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

Quinoa Salad:

200g red or white quinoa
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
80mL extra virgin olive oil
100g pitted green olives, roughly chopped
100g roasted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
1 handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 90 C.

Trim the fat from the lamb and season well with sea salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Gently pan fry the lamb racks until golden brown all over.

Make a bed of thyme and garlic in a roasting tin and put the lamb racks on top. Sprinkle the sumac over the lamb and roast for 45-50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers a core temperature of 54 C.

Remove from the oven and allow lamb to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes. Check the garlic and return to the oven if needed to cook until very soft.

To make the salad:

Add quinoa to a saucepan with plenty of water and a pinch of sea salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain off any remaining liquid and allow to cool. Dress the quinoa with lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.

Squeeze the puree from two of the garlic cloves into a food processor, add the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. While the processor is running, add 125 ml warm water in a steady stream. Stop and scrape down the side of the bowl, then continue to blend, adding enough water to give the sauce a dolloping consistency. Check the seasoning.

Just before serving, mix the quinoa with the olives, pistachios and herbs. Carve the lamb and serve with tahini sauce, quinoa salad and extra garlic cloves for those who love their roast garlic!

Credits: Neil Perry's Good Cooking by Neil Perry (Murdoch Books RRP $49.99)

Photo Credits: Neil Perry's Good Cooking by Neil Perry (Murdoch Books RRP $49.99)