Jamie Oliver's Lamb Racks (minus the racks...)

So I was excited to try a new tasty tray bake ala Jamie Oliver and I got together all the ingredients, except the main one -- the lamb racks! Turns out only one person in my local market sells lamb meat, and she was all out of ribs... So I just had to settle for some part of the upper leg that looked like it woud to well roasted...

It turned out pretty delicious, with the roasted veggies and fresh mint sauce drizzled on top! Better still, it made the house smell delicious as promised, while Jiahui and I watched a movie together :D

I doubled Jamie's recipe because I realized his portions are pretty small, and I intended to have leftovers to take to work...

Ingredients:
2 racks of lamb (just a big piece of meat in my case...)
1lb. baby white potatoes (these were one of the highlights of the dish!)
3 red bell peppers
2 zucchini
7oz. cherry tomatoes
8 cloves garlic
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 medium sprig rosemary
1 small bunch mint
white sugar (Jamie said "superfine" but I just used regular and it was fine...)
red wine vinegar
white wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
pepper to taste

The Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 Celsius, boil the kettle
2. Wash and scrub the baby potatoes. Cut any large ones in half and place in a saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and cover with boiling water from the kettle.
3. Place the pan on high heat and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 5min. Meanwhile...
4. Halve, deseed and roughly chop the bell peppers. Crush unpeeled garlic cloves with the heel of your hand. Crush the olives and discard pits.
5. When the potatoes have had 5min, drain them and transfer to a roasting pan. Add the chopped pepper, crushed garlic and olives.
6. Drizzle everything with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cook in the hot oven for 30min, or until the veggies are soft and tender and beginning to turn golden. Meanwhile...
7. Score the fat on the lamb in a criss-cross fashion. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and add a small drizzle of olive oil. Rub the seasoning into the meat.
8. Top and tail the zucchini and cut into 1cm thick slices. Pick the rosemary leaves, discard the stalks.
9. When the vegetables have had 30min, remove the tray from the oven, add te zucchini, rosemary leaves and tomatoes. Add a splash more oil if needed, gently toss and return to the oven.
10. Place the pan back in the oven then put the lamb directly on the oven shelf above the pan -- the delicious juices from the roasting lamb fall onto the veggies, giving them a delicious flavor!
11. Jaime says to cook for 15-20min but my piece of lamb took almost 30min... Meanwhile...
12. Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, discard the stalks. Put the sugar in a bowl and add a tablespoon of hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
13. Add the mint leaves to the bowl along with the white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Stir everything together and pop in the refrigerator until needed.
14. When the lamb is done, transfer it to a plate, cover with aluminum foil and leave to rest for 5min. 
15. Sprinkle the red wine vinegar over the roasted vegetables and return to the oven for a final 5min.
16. When the lamb is rested, divide into portions and serve with a good helping of roasted vegetables and a spoonful or two of the mint sauce.

The Verdict!

This dish was delicious, and the smell of it cooking was pure torture! It smelled so good, and the whole house smelled awesome. The lamb was pinkish on the inside and done well, but the cut I bought wasn't the best I don't think, and it was a little tough. The mint sauce was a great complement though, and it was definitely edible! The highlight though, was the veggies. They were so flavorful, and perfectly done. The little potatoes were amazing, soft and juicy. I think boiling them before putting them in the oven really helps them retain some moisture, and that's a trick I will be using in the future!

The leftovers were delicious reheated or cold, and I took them to the office in the form of a sandwich as  well -- delicious with some added cheese, and plenty of the veggie gravy/sauce added to it for moisture. Yum!

Will definitely try this again, preferably with the actual lamb racks next time!