Ingredients
Lamb, cèpes and potatoes
Method
- Ask the butcher to trim and shorten the rack of lamb.
- Peel the small potatoes and boil in salted water for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Heat the oven to 180°C / 356°F. Clean the cèpes and brown them in hot olive oil, using part of the listed oil.
- In a large ovenproof casserole, melt the butter with the remaining olive oil. Brown the rack on every side.
- Add the drained cèpes and potatoes. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Dissolve the veal stock powder in 100 ml hot water, then stir in the tomato purée.
- A few minutes before serving, peel and crush the garlic and add it to the casserole with the stock mixture. Mix and serve piping hot.
Equipment
Large lidded ovenproof casserole; Saucepan for potatoes; Frying pan for cèpes; Colander; Peeler; Small bowl or jug for stock; Knife
Notes
- Preparing the rack: have the butcher trim and shorten it before you start. This recipe cooks a whole rack.
- Potatoes: small Charlottes are preferred. Give them ten minutes in salted boiling water, then drain before they join the lamb.
- Oil allocation: use some of the listed 150 ml olive oil to brown the cèpes, then drain them. Combine the remaining oil with the butter to brown the lamb; the source gives no measured split.
- Stock mixture: use a level teaspoon of powdered veal stock with 100 ml hot water, then stir in the tomato purée before adding it to the casserole.
- Last additions: the garlic and tomato-enriched stock go in a few minutes before serving. Serve piping hot; a separate resting time is not given.
- Wine pairing: pour a Cahors red with the meal. This is Marchesseau's suggestion for the table, with no wine added to the casserole.
Photos
2 photos
About this dish
This preparation has the southwestern setting that Pierre Marchesseau gives it in Recettes et Terroirs: the Lot, with a red Cahors to drink alongside. The surrounding Quercy has a long pastoral tradition. Its limestone causses are sheep country, home to Caussenarde flocks whose dark-ringed eyes give them their distinctive appearance.
Marchesseau's introduction is as generous as the mushroom garnish. Take a fine rack of first ribs and freshly picked cèpes, he suggests, add love and a sprinkling of tenderness, then serve everything hot, with pleasure and good humour. The invitation is to enjoy cooking the meal as well as sharing it.
The cooking begins with separate browning: cèpes in hot olive oil, then the whole rack in butter and the remaining oil. Those stages develop savoury flavour before everything meets in the covered casserole. Parboiled potatoes cook alongside the roast, while crushed garlic and tomato-enriched veal stock supply the final seasoning.
Recipe and cooking notes adapted from Recettes et Terroirs.