Easy and Delicious

We've had a very quiet Easter weekend and have loved every minute of it. The kids have pigged out on chocolate. We've attempted to explain yet again the meaning behind Easter but, as non-religious, heathen types we don't necessarily do a great job. We attended an old friend's wedding yesterday. And I've done a bit of baking - because I've had both the time and the inclination. Today I thought I'd make a special dinner for Easter Sunday and decided to have a go at roasting a rack of lamb. They were on special a couple of weeks ago and I grabbed one, determined to finally try one and threw it in the freezer until the perfect opportunity arrived.

Sadly my camera decided not to work so I've pinched, ahem borrowed, the pic from taste.com that goes with the recipe. You'll find both of them here.

It was utterly fabulous, totally delicious and the perfect dinner. I added potatoes and beans to the roasting dish and cooked the whole lot for a wee bit longer (like 25 minutes longer) than the recipe directed because I like my meat to not be bleeding. Or pink. Or remotely resemble something that used to be alive. That said, it was still a teeny bit undercooked for me but just perfect for hubby. So here's my version:

Roast Rack Of Lamb (With Roasted Vegies)

(serves 4)

3 large-ish potatoes, each cut into 8 pieces

A handful of green beans, trimmed

500g Kent pumpkin, seeded, cut into 1.5cm-thick wedges

Canola spray

4 lamb racks (3 cutlets on each rack), French trimmed

2 tbs wholegrain mustard 

1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

1/2 large zucchini, trimmed, quartered lengthways

 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large roasting pan with non-stick baking paper. Spray potatoes with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Add pumpkin and beans and cook a further 20 minutes.

2. While pumpkin is cooking, heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Spray with oil. Cook lamb racks for 1-2 minutes each side or until browned. Combine the mustard and rosemary in a small bowl. Spread one-quarter of mustard mixture over the top of each lamb rack.

3. Add tomatoes and zucchini to the roasting pan. Arrange lamb on top. Roast for 25-30 minutes (less if you like it bleeding, more if your like it brown and bone dry) or until lamb is cooked to your liking and vegetables are tender. Transfer lamb to a plate. Cover with foil. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest. Serve with the roasted vegetables. (I steamed some carrots and broccoli to go with it all too, mostly so the fussy child would eat at least one vegetable.)