Lamb Rack in Herb Crust with Spinach Pocket

Ingredients

• 1 lamb rack (with long ribs, about 800 g)
• pepper (ground)
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bunch rosemary
• 1 bunch thyme
• ½ bunch peppermint
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 50 g Parmesan (freshly grated)
• 70 g soft butter
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 50 ml white wine
• 4 tbsp vegetable brunoise (tomatoes, onion, zucchini)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 50 g Heavy cream
• 500 g fresh spinach
• 1 Shallot
• 1 Garlic clove
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• nutmeg
• 125 g filo dough (or strudel dough, ready-made)
• 1 Egg white
• oil (for frying)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Remove the skin from the meat and cleanly trim the bones at the top end, then rub the meat with pepper. Wash the herbs, shake them dry, pluck leaves from stems and finely chop. Mix breadcrumbs with parmesan, herbs, half of the butter, egg and mustard.

2. 2.

   Brown the lamb rack in hot oil in a roasting pan, season, and bake in a preheated oven on a sheet at 150 °C, fan and top heat, for about 30‑40 minutes. Remove, place racks on a rack, spread herb mixture over the meat and broil for another 5 minutes at 220 °C.

3. 3.

   Deglaze the roasting pan with wine and set aside.

4. 4.

   While the meat cooks, clean, wash spinach, drop it into a hot pot until it wilts under cover, drain and let dry. Roughly chop the spinach. Peel and finely dice shallot and garlic, sauté in hot oil until translucent, add spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

5. 5.

   Roll out filo dough and cut four triangles about 15 × 25 cm. Spread spinach mixture in the center of each triangle, fold the tip toward the base, brush dough edges with egg white, then fold side pieces inward to form a sealed triangle enclosing the spinach. Heat oil and fry pastry pockets until golden brown.

6. 6.

   For sauce, simmer deglazed pan liquid with cream, blend and season. Add half of the butter in chunks and mix in. Sauté vegetable brunoise in remaining butter.

7. 7.

   Plate by placing three lamb racks on a warmed plate with a spinach pocket each, garnish with vegetable brunoise, and pour a side spoonful of sauce.