The royal table in the Orient

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 kg rack of lamb, cleaned on the bone
• 10 rosemary sprigs
• 10 thyme sprigs
• 1 bulb(s) garlic, sliced
• olive oil
• 150 g pistachios, chopped
• 100 g butter
• salt and pepper
• Butter for frying
• 2 small shallots, finely chopped
• 4 figs, fresh or dried, cut into pieces
• 200 ml red wine
• 200 ml vegetable stock
• 50 ml date syrup
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (date-fig balsamic vinegar)
• 1 rosemary sprig(s)
• 1 sprig of thyme
• salt and pepper
• 400 g cherry tomatoes on the stem
• 1 garlic clove(s), finely chopped
• olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper
• Potatoes, floury
• 120 g butter
• 120 ml milk
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• some nutmeg
• 4 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 35 minutes

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 14.03.2025

Brush olive oil onto the rack of lamb, season generously with salt and pepper, and top with garlic slices, rosemary, and thyme. Then wrap in cling film and let rest in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 1.5 hours before preparation. Preheat the oven to 145°C fan/convection oven. At this point, soften the butter for the pistachio and herb mixture and mix it with the chopped rosemary, thyme, pistachios, salt, and pepper. Then brown the rack of lamb on all sides in a hot pan with butter. Briefly fry the herbs and garlic from the marinade. Then spread the pistachio and herb mixture onto the rack of lamb, place the rack of lamb on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes. Peel and dice the potatoes, and cook until tender. Drain, stir in the butter and milk, add the chopped parsley, and a pinch of nutmeg. Mash until smooth and season the puree with salt and pepper. For the fig and red wine sauce, sauté the shallots in butter, add the fig pieces, picked rosemary, and thyme, and fry briefly. Deglaze with red wine and reduce the liquid by half. Add the vegetable stock, date syrup, and date and fig balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Blend everything with a hand blender and pass through a fine sieve. Place the cherry tomatoes in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Roast at 180°C (convection oven) for about 15 minutes. Place the mashed potatoes in the center of the plates. Cut the rack of lamb into portions and arrange on the mash, interlocking the bones. Spread the fig and red wine sauce around the mash and place the braised cherry tomatoes on the side. Zeynep prepared this recipe as a main course in the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 5 in Bremen, on Friday, March 14, 2025.