Recipe: Lamb with Mushroom Crust & Leek Purée

Cookbook

Boneless Lamb with Mushroom Crust
and Leek Purée

Makes 4 servings

Lamb with Mushroom Crust
and Leek purée A striking-looking dish, especially with rare-cooked lamb, which makes it red, black, and green. If time allows, the mushroom flavor will be even more pronounced if the mushroom-crusted lamb sits in the refrigerator for about two hours before cooking. Any butcher; including those in supermarkets, can provide you with boned racks of lamb, although it is among the easiest boning jobs to do yourself. Serve this, if you like, with Beet Tartare or Warm Potato Salad with Caramelized Shallots and Watercress.

2 leeks, trimmed of hard green parts, split in half,
well washed and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ounces black trumpet or other dried mushrooms
1 egg, beaten with a little salt and pepper
Flour for dredging
2 racks of lamb, boned
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces shutake mushrooms, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
2 thyme sprigs
Coarse salt

1. Cook the leeks in boiling salted water until tender; about 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender with the butter and salt and pepper to taste. purée and keep warm.

2. Place the dried mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder and grind to the consistency of coffee. Place them on a plate. Beat the egg in a bowl and place the flour on a plate. Dip the lamb very lightly in the flour; shaking off the excess, then dip it in the egg, then into the mushrooms. Pat the mushrooms to adhere; you want to coat the lamb heavily. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours, if time allows. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet and add the shutake mushrooms, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender; about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in an ovenproof skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. A minute later; add the lamb; cook for 2 minutes on one side, then turn the lamb and place the skillet in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes for rare meat, a little longer if you like it more done.

5. Let the lamb rest for a minute, then cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a dollop of leek purée on each plate, top with a portion of mushrooms, then place the lamb on top. Sprinkle with a little coarse salt and serve.

From:
Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef
By Jean-Georges Vongerichten
and Mark Bittman
Broadway Books
Hardcover; 288 pages; $35.00
ISBN: 0-7679-0155-X
Recipe Reprinted by permission.