Patrick’s comments on the dish: “The gingered carrot sauce has only three ingredients and couldn’t be simpler. The sauce is so versatile it can even be used with fish dishes. The addition of rutabaga to the accompanying rosti potato cake contributes an unexpected hint of natural sweetness that enhances both the carrot sauce and the flavor of the pistachios.”
Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the Gingered Carrot Sauce
- 1 quart organic carrot juice
- 1 one-inch chunk of fresh ginger root, peeled
- 1 ½ cups creme fraiche
- salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
For the Rutabaga Rosti:
- 2 large Idaho type baking potatoes
- 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- ½ cup clarified butter
For the Pistachio-crusted Lamb:
- 3 one-and-a -half-pound racks of lamb, each comprising about 8 rib bones
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ pound brown sugar
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
Method:
For the Gingered Carrot Sauce:
- Place the carrot juice and ginger root in a 2- quart saucepan and simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the carrot juice is reduced to 1 cup.
- Remove and discard the ginger root and, over low heat, in the creme fraiche. Season with salt and white pepper. The sauce may be made in advance, stored in the refrigerator, and rewarmed before serving.
For the Rutabaga Rosti:
- Peel the potatoes, leaving them whole. Combine with the rutabaga and steam for 15 minutes. Let cool.
- Using the large holed blade of a box grater, shred the potatoes and rutabaga. Fold in the finely chopped onions.
- Season the shredded vegetables with salt and pepper and form them into 6 cakes
- In a large skillet, heat half of the clarified butter over medium heat. Carefully place 3 cakes in the skillet and brown them on both sides for about 5 to 7 minutes for each side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining clarified butter and vegetable cakes. The rostis can be made up to 1 hour in advance and rewarmed before serving.
For the Pistachio-crusted Lamb:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Remove the lamb, place it on the cutting board, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Lay the sharp knife against the bone and slip the meat off 2 of the racks in one piece, leaving one rack as is.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk the mustard and brown sugar together. Using a pastry brush, coat the meat with the mustard mixture, then roll each rack in the chopped pistachios. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest.
Recipe courtesy of Patrick O’Connell and the Inn at Little Washington.
Patrick O’Connell Chef Feature.