The inspiration for the dish came from the fantastic colour of the purple cauliflower, which is readily available in shops. To add to the natural purple hue, I used grilled aubergine and quick and easy potato and beetroot röstis and a red-onion salsa with chive- and spring-onion flowers.
PAIR WITH… KWV The Mentors Orchestra 2012
Roasted rack of lamb with cauliflower purée
Ingredients
- ROASTED LAMB
- rack lamb chops (about 2 chops per person – ask your butcher to Frenchtrim them for you)
- olive oil, to drizzle
- coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- handful fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
- CAULIFLOWER PURÉE
- 250g butter + extra, if needed
- 2 purple cauliflower heads, chopped
- 2 large red onions, peeled and chopped
- 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- few drops truffle oil
- 5ml (1 tsp) garlic, grated
- POTATO AND BEETROOT RÖSTIS
- 2 potatoes, coarsely grated
- 1 raw beetroot, coarsely grated
- 1 egg
- oil, to fry
- chargrilled aubergine slices, to serve
- red-onion slices, tossed in olive oil and lemon juice, to serve
- chives and chive flowers, to garnish
- spring-onion flowers, to garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C. For the lamb, rub the rack with the olive oil, seasoning and coriander. Heat a pan or griddle pan over high heat and sear the lamb, skin side first, until browned on all sides. Place in a roasting pan and cook in the oven, 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest before serving.
For the cauliflower purée, heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and fry the cauliflower and onions until golden brown, 5 – 8 minutes. Season with pepper to taste, add the chicken stock, truffle oil and garlic and cook until all of the juices have reduced to a third and the cauliflower is soft, 15 – 20 minutes.
Place all of the purée ingredients in a jug blender and blitz until a smooth paste has formed. Add some more butter if the mixture seems too dry. Set aside in a pot and keep warm until ready to serve.
For the röstis, mix all of the ingredients together and add tablespoonfuls to a warm, oiled frying pan. Cook the röstis, 2 – 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towel and keep warm until ready to serve.
To assemble the dish, warm the lamb in a 200°C oven for about 5 minutes. Spoon warm purée onto the centre of each plate and give it a knock from the bottom with the palm of your hand to let it settle in a circle. Place some lamb in the middle and serve with the röstis and some griddlefried aubergine. Garnish with the redonion slices and chives, chive flowers and spring-onion flowers.
