Rack of Lamb with Black Bean Sauce and Salad
Black beans add an earthy taste to lamb cooked with garlic and rosemary. The beans appear as a simple salad, and again in the sauce. The beans, salad, and sauce can be prepared a day ahead of time and brought to room temperature, then rewarmed over medium-low heat while the lamb is cooking.
Ingredients
- French or Baby green Beans
- Black Beans - 1/2 lb, picked over and rinsed
- Lamb
- Rack of Lamb - 1-3/4 to 2 lb (8 ribs), trimmed of all fat and membrane and patted dry
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Garlic - 4 cloves, peeled and minced
- Rosemary - 4 fresh 2-inch sprigs (alt. 1 tablespoon crumbled dried rosemary)
- Pancetta or Bacon - 1/4 pound, coarsely chopped
- Onion - 1 medium, peeled and diced
- Rosemary - 1 sprig
- Bay Leaf - 1
- Unsalted chicken stock - 1-1/2 quarts (10 cups)
- Garlic - 2 large cloves, peeled and minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Bean Salad
- Olive Oil - 1-1/2 tablespoons
- Red Wine Vinegar - 3/4 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare the beans: Put the beans in a large bowl. Cover with enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover and set aside at room temperature to soak overnight.
To prepare the lamb: Place the lamb rack on a large sheet of plastic wrap and rub with the olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic and arrange the rosemary sprigs over the lamb. Wrap in the plastic and marinate at least 4 hours, or, preferably, overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before roasting.
Place the pancetta or bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Saute until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, rosemary, and bay leaf; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain the beans and add to the pot. Add the chicken stock and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the beans are very tender, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally; add more liquid if necessary.
To prepare the salad: Remove about 2 cups of the beans from the pot with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Mix with the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
To prepare the bean sauce: Continue simmering the remaining beans for 1 hour until they are almost falling apart. Transfer to a food processor using a slotted spoon. Add 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Process until pureed, pulsing and stopping to scrape down the sides. Strain into a small saucepan through a fine sieve, pressing on the ingredients to extract all the liquid. Add additional cooking liquid, if necessary, to thin to a pourable consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside; keep warm.
To cook the lamb: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, bone-side down. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 25 minutes for rare. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice into portions between the ribs.
To serve: Arrange bean salad on each of four plates. Ladle bean sauce around the salad. Arrange lamb chops in pairs over the salads so that the tips meet in the center. Place a rosemary sprig vertically between the chops.
