Rack of lamb, spinach, onion and garlic puree with caramelised shallots

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On a recent visit to London I managed to pick up Raymond Blanc's book of his series 'Kitchen Secrets' and it's from this book that this recipe, or rather its components, come from. Rack of lamb roasted in the oven accompanied by a smooth puree of onions and garlic with the tang of sun-dried tomatoes and wilted spinach produces excellent results, feel free to add confit lamb to this recipe or sauteed lamb liver if you like.


Serves 21 Rack of lamb containing six chops, french-trimmed
6 Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

Onion and Garlic puree2 Large white onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3-4 Sprigs of thyme, leaves only, stalks reserved
Olive oil
2 tsp Ground white pepper
Pinch of salt

Spinach200g Spinach, washed
75ml Chicken stock

Caramelised Shallots

2 Large banana shallots, peeled with stalks left on
2 Black peppercorns
Thyme stalks (see onion and garlic puree)
2 tsp Sea salt
200ml Water


1. Set the oven to 190C.

2. For the puree, in a medium-sized pan, add a dash of olive oil over a low heat and add the onions, garlic, pepper and thyme. Cover and simmer for around 30 minutes until the onions are translucent but not coloured. Leave to cool

3. In a small pan, add the water, salt, peppercorns and thyme stalks and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Add the shallots, cover and simmer for around 40 minutes until the shallots are easily pierced with a knife. Once cooked, drain the shallots and pat dry with kitchen paper, cut in half lengthways and set aside.

4. Season the lamb and heat a pan with a generous dash of olive oil until smoking hot. Add the lamb and sear all over until evenly coloured, place in the oven for 8-15 minutes depending how you like your lamb (8mins for rare, 15 for medium-well). Once cooked, remove from the pan onto a plate to rest, keep the excess oil/juices within the pan and set aside.

5. Lay the sun-dried tomatoes on a baking tray and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until just beginning to brown, remove and keep warm.

6. Place the puree into a blender and blitz until smooth, add 2-3 tablespoon's of olive oil and check for seasoning, blitz again and place into a pan to keep warm.

7. Add the shallots to the pan used to cook the lamb, set over a high heat and place flat-side down for 1-2 minutes until caramelised, flip over for another 30 seconds and remove, keep warm.

8. Place the chicken stock in a pan and set over a rapid boil, add the spinach and place a lid over the pan until the spinach has wilted slightly.

9. To assemble, place a few spoonful's of the puree in the centre of the plate. top with the spinach and slice the lamb into cutlets, laying them on top of the spinach, place the caramelised shallots and roasted tomatoes around the plate and serve.