Elevate your traditional roast lamb recipe with this elegant and flavour filled herb-crusted rack of lamb. Loaded with garlic, rosemary, parsley and parmesan, this centrepiece is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Serve with parmesan-topped pearl barley and savoy cabbage for a twist on your usual roast accompaniments.

It’s really important to avoid the bones when checking the temperature of your rack of lamb. If you accidentally probe the bones instead of the meat, you may get an inaccurate reading and over or undercook your lamb as a result.

Using your Thermapen, insert the thermometer probe into the centre of the rack, between the bones, and search for the coolest point. Do this by probing all the way through and then slowly retracting the probe. You’ll see the numbers start to decrease as the probe reaches the centre, then increase again as you move past it. Use the lowest temperature as your guide for the lamb’s doneness. You can also spot check the lamb throughout, just to ensure it’s cooked to your liking all over.

Temperatures

We cooked our lamb to 56 °C for medium rare. Use the following guide to cook your lamb to your preference.

Rare: 52°C

Medium-rare: 56 °C

Medium: 60°C

Well done: 71°C

Ingredients

For the Lamb

• 1.1 kg rack of lamb
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 45 g grated parmesan
• 120 g breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the pearl barley

• 2 leeks, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 300 g savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 L chicken stock
• 300 g pearl barley, soaked for 1 hour
• 500 ml white wine
• 50 g cumin seeds
• 50 g cumin seeds
• 45 g grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

To make the lamb

• Preheat your oven to 180°C fan / gas 4. Season the lamb generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add 4 tbsp of olive oil, along with the lamb and garlic. Sear all sides until browned.
• Remove the lamb and place into a baking tray.
• Remove the garlic and add to a food processor along with the breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, rosemary, and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Pulse until combined.
• Brush the top and sides of the lamb with the mustard. Then coat the top and sides of the lamb with the breadcrumb and herb mix and roast in the oven until your Thermapen reads 56 °C for medium rare. This should take around 20-25 minutes.
• Allow the lamb to rest before slicing.

To make the pearl barley

• Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and cook the leeks for a few minutes, then add the garlic and the cumin seeds and cook for a few minutes more.
• Add the pearl barley, carrots, mustard and a splash of white wine, then pour over the chicken stock. Season with plenty of ground black pepper and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the cabbage and cook for 5-10 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
• Top with the grated parmesan and serve with slices of the lamb.

Laura Tulloch

Thermapen Chef & Caterer

@laura_sussexfoodie

"I love my Thermapen, it really helps me cook with confidence. As a caterer the health and safety of everyone you cook for is paramount, but that doesn't mean you have to compromise with your cooking. A simple reassuring check with the Thermapen throughout the process is all that's needed to allow you to enjoy, and confidently serve what you've made."