Roast Lamb Loin with Pesto
- Yield 8 servings
A simple rack of lamb is topped with a savory pesto of basil and pine nuts—from Stephane Reynaud's Rotis cookbook.
Frederic Lucano
Ingredients
- 2 -- racks of lamb with 6 ribs each*
- 1 -- bunch basil, leaves only, plus extra
- 3 1/2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, diced, plus extra shavings to serve
- 1 3/4 ounces pine nuts, toasted
- 1 -- garlic clove
- 3 1/2 fluid ounces plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Put basil, diced parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil in a food processor. Blend until ingredients form a smooth pesto paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Put lamb fillets in a flameproof roasting pan and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Use the pointed end of a knife and make an incision along the length of each fillet; spread generously with the pesto. Arrange the cherry tomatoes around fillets, then roast 8 minutes.
- Allow fillets to rest in their juices, covered with foil, 5 minutes, then scatter with basil and shavings of parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
*Ask your butcher to bone the racks of lamb so that you only have the fillet.
Reprinted with permission from Rôtis by Stéphane Reynaud, Melville House 2001.
