Name: Lamb baked in lavender salt with mustard beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 lamb backstraps (about 240gm each); 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Dijon mustard; 300 gm coarse rock salt, lightly crushed; 2 tbsp dried lavender, plus extra to serve; 1 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns; 1 egg, lightly whisked; Mustard beans; 100 gm green beans, halved widthways; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 golden shallot, finely chopped; 25 gm mizuna or rocket leaves; 1 tbsp lemon juice; ½ tsp Dijon mustard

Lamb baked in lavender salt with mustard beans

Australian Gourmet Traveller French main recipe for lamb baked in lavender salt with mustard beans.

Serves 2

Prep

10M

Cook

15M

Total

25M

Lavender and lamb is a Provençal classic. If you use a very coarse rock salt you may need less liquid in the salt crust, so add it judiciously.

Ingredients

2 lamb backstraps (about 240gm each)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

300 gm coarse rock salt, lightly crushed

2 tbsp dried lavender, plus extra to serve

1 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns

1 egg, lightly whisked

Mustard beans

100 gm green beans, halved widthways

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 golden shallot, finely chopped

25 gm mizuna or rocket leaves

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp Dijon mustard

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 200C. Place lamb on a baking tray, rub all over with garlic and brush with mustard. Combine salt, lavender, pepper and egg in a bowl, adding a little water if necessary to make a thick paste. Spoon salt mixture over lamb, press firmly to form a crust, then roast until cooked to your liking (12-15 minutes for medium-rare). Rest for 5 minutes, then crack salt crust just before serving.

2.Meanwhile, for mustard beans, blanch beans until just tender (1-2 minutes). Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add shallot and sauté until just softened (2-3 minutes), add beans and sauté until just warmed through (1-2 minutes). Add mizuna and sauté until just wilted (30 seconds-1 minute), then stir through lemon juice and mustard, season to taste.

3.Brush excess salt from lamb, slice thickly and serve scattered with extra lavender, with mustard beans on the side.