Roasted Lamb with Meerlust Red 2002
Roasted Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Jus
(For four people)
4 racks of lamb, French trimmed (keep the trimmings and the bones)
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fresh thyme
½ tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Method
Marinate lamb with above ingredients
for 2-3 hours. Heat oven to 200°C. Season the lamb with more pepper and
salt.
Roast in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes, then cover with foil and let meat rest
for 5-10 minutes.
Sauce
Lamb bones and trimmings
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ripe tomato, diced
1 cup dry white or red wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs rosemary
50g unsalted butter, cold and diced
Salt and black pepper
Heat a pot, add the oil, and when it begins to smoke, add the bones and trimmings and brown for 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and onion and brown for 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato and soften for 3-4 minutes, then add the wine and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock and rosemary and boil gently until reduced by half again (20-30 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, then strain. Just before serving, whisk the cold butter into the hot sauce.
Dauphinoise Potatoes
4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, cut in half
150ml fresh cream
Salt and white pepper
Rub the inside of a 25cm x 25cm casserole dish with the garlic. Neatly place the potatoes in the bottom, and season with the salt and pepper. Pour over the cream, cover with foil, and bake at 160°C for one hour. Throw two handfuls of grated cheese on top if you wish.
Garlic Confit
1 whole head garlic
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 sprig thyme
Wrap all ingredients in foil, screw up and bake in 160°C for 45 minutes. Allow to cool and gently separate into cloves (skin on) and keep warm.
Tomato Confit
3 tbsp olive oil
24 baby tomatoes
1 sprig rosemary
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
Heat a pot and add the oil. When it is smoking, add the tomatoes and keep the pot moving. The skins will begin to split and peel away. After 2-3 minutes, add the seasoning, cook for another minute and remove from the heat. Peel the tomatoes if you wish and keep warm.
To Serve
Place a ring of potatoes in the centre of a warm plate, drizzle the sauce around,
present the sliced cutlets on top, and garnish with the tomatoes and garlic.
For extra colour, add some broad beans.
Michael Broughton leaps at our invitation to take part in this food and wine
matching exercise after learning that the wine concerned is the Meerlust Red
2002, which top-scored (relative to its price) in this month's Bordeaux-style
blends tasting on page 94.
"My wife and I drank a bottle recently and really enjoyed it," reveals
the chef formerly behind Broughton's in Sandton Square and now specialising
in "food from the earth" at Terroir on Stellenbosch wine farm Kleine
Zalze. "But it's a big wine with some kick and quite a bit of tannin coming
through, so it needs a dish with robust flavours to carry it."
Three days later, Broughton has had "great fun" coming up with a brand
new recipe combining all his favourite Mediterranean ingredients: lamb, garlic,
rosemary and tomato on top of some creamy potatoes.
"I just love lamb," he declares. "It's like a good pair of Diesel
jeans - you can dress it up or down! In this case, I thought it deserved fairly
regal presentation. However, I cooked the meal in my own domestic kitchen, which
means anyone should be able to try this at home."
