Roast Rack of Lamb with Flageolet Beans (for Two)

Fresh Rosemary

Here's a lovely, easy rack of lamb preparation for those Saturday nights when you feel like going fancy, but don't feel like going out.
You can prepare the flageolet beans a day ahead to make things even easier.
Some roasted fingerling potatoes are an excellent alternative to the flageolet beans, dressed with good olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary and garlic.

A vegetable side option we always love with lamb is chanterelle mushrooms (if available) sautéed with shallots and garlic and tossed with parboiled French beans.

Serve this meal with a full-bodied red wine, and finish with a luscious chocolate mousse from our Pastry department, or some fried Marcona almonds from Spain plated with sweet dried fruits.
You'll have so much fun, you'll think twice about going out on Saturday nights again.

Serves: 2
Ingredients:

1 rack of lamb, “frenched” (bones cleaned and fat removed)

4 tbsp. Agata & Valentina extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

4 oz. dried flageolet beans, soaked overnight

8 oz. A & V chicken stock

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 beefsteak tomato (skinned, juices squeezed out and chopped into a concasse)

½ bunch fresh basil leaves, cut into a “chiffonade”

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

For Beans:
Cook flageolets in chicken stock at a slow simmer for 20-30 minutes until tender, then drain. In sauté pan, sauté garlic in olive oil about 1 minute, then add tomato concasse and cook 2 minutes more. Add cooked, drained flageolets, season with salt and pepper and fold in fresh chiffonade of basil. Set aside.

For Lamb:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Season lamb on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in large oven-safe sauté pan over medium/high heat. Place lamb meat-side down and cook until golden, 4-6 minutes. Turn over, sprinkle with rosemary and place pan with lamb into the pre-heated oven and roast 24 minutes.
Remove from pan and let sit under loose tent of aluminum foil for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Cut 2 double chops or 4 single chops per person.
Serve with flageolet beans, roasted potatoes or mushroom-haricovert on the side.