Rack of Lamb in Rosemary, Mint and Parmesan Crust

Ingredients

• 4 racks of lamb, cut and trimmed
• ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
• Olive oil
• 2 cups veal stock
• 1 tbsp. butter
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

Salad Ingredients

• 397 g seedless mini-cucumbers (about 7), diced
• 341 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 big handful of fresh mint, chopped
• 3 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup Greek natural non-fat (0%) yogurt
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay down the lamb racks and season them on both sides with salt and pepper. Place your fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese and spices in a bowl and mix them together. Apply generous amounts of this mix on the meat in order to form a crust. Press solidly to help the flavour penetrate. Let them stand on the counter for 20 minutes.
2. Add a dribble of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat and sear the racks on all sides, 5-6 minutes in all.
3. Place onto a baking sheet and oven-bake for some 20-25 minutes. Lamb racks should be served rare to medium cooked. Verify their state by cutting them in half, as they will get done quicker if you must put them back into the oven.
4. In the meanwhile, you can work on the sauce. Pour the veal stock in a saucepan over high heat and bring it to a boil. Add pepper, mix well and let it reduce for 10-15 minutes, which should bring it down to 1/3 of its original volume.
5. Remove from the stovetop, add butter and whisk it in as it melts, until a consistent and homogeneously creamy mixture is obtained. Turn the heat off and move to the warmer. Please note, if you are using unsalted veal stock, it is time to pay attention to seasoning the sauce. Cut the racks into chops and serve with sauce.
6. To create your salad, simply combine all ingredients together in a large bowl, and then add salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Don't prepare it too long before serving as the water in the vegetables diluting your dressing.