Chef's Recipes

Roast lamb with Provençal tomatoes

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for roast lamb with Provençal tomatoes by La Colombe d'Or in France.

  • 40 mins preparation
  • 40 mins cooking plus resting
  • Serves 4
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Roast lamb with Provençal tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 8 thyme sprigs
  • 4 rosemary sprigs
  • 4 sage sprigs
  • 4 fresh bay leaves
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 4 3-rib lamb racks, fat trimmed
  • 4 large garlic cloves, halved
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 200 ml chicken stock
  • 200 ml veal stock
  • To serve: crusty bread
Provençal tomatoes
  • 50 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ tsp saffron threads, soaked in 40ml warmed dry white wine
  • 50 gm day-old crustless sourdough bread
  • ¾ cup (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 6 large vine-ripened tomatoes, halved

Method

Main
  • 1
    For Provençal tomatoes, preheat oven to 180C. heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and stir occasionally until very soft and caramelised (15-20 minutes). Add saffron mixture, stir to combine and simmer until liquid has evaporated. Season to taste and set aside. Meanwhile, process bread, parsley and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped, season to taste and set aside. Place tomatoes cut-side up in an ovenproof dish, scatter caramelised onion over, then persillade crumbs, drizzle with extra oil and bake until tomatoes are tender and crumbs are golden (15-20 minutes). Remove from oven and increase oven to 220C.
  • 2
    While the tomatoes cook, prepare the lamb. Divide herbs into 4 bundles, tie with kitchen string and set aside. Heat oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat, add herb bundles, fry until fragrant (1 minute), then remove. Add lamb to pan, fat-side down, and cook until browned (1-2 minutes), turn and brown the other side (1-2 minutes), then remove from pan. Tie a herb bundle to each lamb rack with kitchen string and return to pan with garlic. Transfer pan to oven to roast lamb until cooked to your liking (4-5 minutes for medium-rare), then transfer lamb to a plate to rest (5 minutes). Drain excess fat from pan, deglaze with white wine, add chicken and veal stock and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to a glaze (4-5 minutes). Spoon glaze over lamb and serve with Provençal tomatoes and bread.