Rack of lamb with an olive and caper crust

Name: Rack of lamb with an olive and caper crust
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 2 x 300g lamb racks, French trimmed (see know-how); For the breadcrumb crust; 65g fresh white breadcrumbs; Grated zest 2 lemons and juice ½; 20g parmesan or grana padano, finely grated; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; For the olive paste; 50g black olives, finely chopped; 1 tbsp capers, chopped; 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped; Glug olive oil, plus extra to grease

By: delicious. food team

Published: 16 Jan 18
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

Instead of turkey this year, try our Christmas lamb recipe. A showstopper rack of French-trimmed lamb, with an olive and breadcrumb crust, that’s ready in just 45 minutes.

Or you could spice things up with our slow-cooked curried leg of lamb recipe.

Serves 4
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 20-30 min

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Ingredients

2 x 300g lamb racks, French trimmed (see know-how)

For the breadcrumb crust

65g fresh white breadcrumbs
Grated zest 2 lemons and juice ½
20g parmesan or grana padano, finely grated
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

For the olive paste

50g black olives, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, chopped
4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
Glug olive oil, plus extra to grease

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. For the crust, combine the breadcrumbs, half the lemon zest, the grated cheese and chopped parsley in a bowl.
For the olive paste, whizz the black olives, capers, thyme leaves, remaining lemon zest and the juice, and enough olive oil in a food processor to make a thick paste (or mix to a coarse paste in a pestle and mortar). Smear the olive paste all over the meat, then press the cheesy breadcrumb crust on top to coat evenly.
Put the lamb on a lightly oiled baking tray and roast for 20 minutes for rare or 25-30 minutes for medium to well done.
Remove from the oven and cover with foil for 5 minutes to rest before carving. Serve with seasonal vegetables.

Recipe from December 2017 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 345kcals
Fat: 21.2g (6g saturated)
Protein: 24.4g
Carbohydrates: 13.3g (1.1g sugars)
Fibre: 1.7g
Salt: 0.7g

delicious. tips

French-trimmed lamb racks have had the bones cleaned of all fat and sinew to give a neat appearance. Ask your butcher to do this for you, or find a step-by-step guide on how to French trim a rack of lamb, here.
A classic lamb dish deserves a classic claret (red bordeaux), ideally a merlot-rich saint émilion or pomerol.

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Rack of lamb with an olive and caper crust

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