Roast Rack of Lamb with Cocoa Nib and Herbs

A rack of lamb is a luxurious meal, but with simple preparation, it can be a snap. If you do not know how to clean/French a rack of lamb, ask your butcher to perform that when purchasing the lamb.

Roast Rack of Lamb

Recipe Type: Entree

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Ingredients for Rack for Lamb:

1 Rack of Lamb (Frenched)
1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary Leaves
2 tsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves only
1 ½ Tbsp. Cocoa Nib
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)
Black Ground Pepper (to taste)
For The Greens Ingredients:
1 bunch Lacinato Kale
1 bunch Swiss Chard
2 Tbsp. Minced Shallot
3 Tbsp. Butter
Salt (to taste)
Black Ground Pepper (to taste)
For the Olive Tapenade Ingredients:
1 ½ Shallot
3 each Clove Garlic
2 each Dry Plum
½ cup Dry Cured Olives
¾ cup Parsley Leaves
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
¼ cup Fresh Oregano
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)
Black Ground Pepper (to taste)
For the Turnip Purée Ingredients:
3 each Turnips (medium sized, about 3 cups peeled)
⅓ – ½ cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. Butter
Salt (to taste)

Instructions

For the Lamb

Season rack of lamb about 2 hours before cooking. Apply olive oil to the lamb meat thoroughly. Then rub thyme, rosemary and cocoa nib on lamb meat. Season liberally with salt & pepper. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator before cooking.
Place rack of lamb on a sheet pan with a roasting rack. Place in oven at 375°F and cook according to your taste. When done, allow meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For The Greens

Strip leafy greens from their stems. Fill a large pot with water, add a good amount of salt, bring to a boil. When water is boiling, add greens and cook for 1 minute. Strain greens and place in a bowl of ice water. Once the greens are chilled, remove the greens from the ice water and squeeze any excess water from them.
In a skillet, sauté shallots on low heat with butter. When shallots are golden, add greens. Cook until the greens are warm throughout and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

For the Olive Tapenade

In a pan, sauté shallots and garlic until golden brown. Combine all ingredients including the sauteed shallots and garlic into a food processor. Roughly chop all ingredients in the food processor. Season to taste.

For the Turnip Purée

Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a liberal amount of salt to the boiling water, then add turnips. Bring turnips to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook turnips until fork tender then strain turnips. Place strained turnips in a blender with cream and butter. Blend ingredients until they are pureed. Season with salt to taste.