Feta-crusted lamb with rich tomato sauce

Feta-crusted lamb with rich tomato sauce

As the lamb roasts, little nuggets of feta from the crust melt into the gutsy, tomatoey, garlicky sauce

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 2

Easily doubled

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

plus marinating and resting

Method

  1. Marinate the lamb first. Put the racks into a non-metallic dish and mix the thyme, oil, lemon zest, garlic and half the oregano in a bowl. Rub this all over the lamb, then leave to marinate for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. It's important that you cook the lamb from room temperature rather than fridge cold, so if you're cooking within 1 hr or so, leave it out of the fridge.
  2. For the sauce, finely chop the parsley stalks. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan or wide casserole, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and the stalks, then soften for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and remaining oregano, then simmer for 5 mins until saucy, popping the cherry tomatoes with your wooden spoon to release all the juices and seeds. Chop the parsley leaves roughly and add half to the pan. Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/ gas 8. Make the crust by mixing the remaining parsley leaves, feta, zest, oregano and breadcrumbs in a bowl.
  3. When you're ready to cook the lamb, leave most of the tasty marinade on the meat, season it well with salt and freshly ground pepper, then press the crust onto one side of each piece. Sit the racks in the sauce, with the crust-side facing upwards. Strew the thyme sprigs from the marinade over the lamb and into the sauce, then drizzle everything with a little extra virgin olive oil. Roast the lamb in the sauce, uncovered, for 20 mins (for pink and juicy meat) until the crust is golden and the sauce thickened. Leave to rest for 10 mins, loosely covered, so that the crust doesn't go soggy, then carve the lamb between each bone to make cutlets. Serve the crusted cutlets with spoonfuls of the intense, roasted-down tomato sauce, and the Easy buttered onion pilaf and Lemony greens (recipes below). Garnish with thyme.
Try

Easy buttered onion pilaf

Heat 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan, add 1 thinly sliced onion, cover, then gently fry for 10 mins until soft, but not coloured. Remove lid, stir in 140g rice (rinsed in cold water first), cook for 1-2 mins, tip in 500ml chicken or lamb stock, then season. Stir, cover, then gently cook for 20 mins. Take off heat, then leave, covered, for 10 mins (or up to 30 mins), then fluff up the grains with a fork. They should be tender and buttery and the onions completely soft.

Lemony greens

Remove any thicker stalks from 1 head spring greens or ½ Savoy cabbage, then thickly shred the leaves. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the greens, then boil for 3 mins or until just tender and vibrant. Drain, then toss with a squeeze lemon juice, a drizzle olive oil and plenty of black pepper.

PER SERVING

582 kcalories, protein 26g, carbohydrate 12g, fat 48 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 3g, sugar 6g, salt 1.47 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2009.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo lisa

    01 April 2009

    lisa rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this for my husband's birthday and went down really well. The flavours were delicious and it was easy to prepare while looking after two young boys and their friends. Will make this again but will substitute the rice for a few crispy potatoes as the rice was too heavy and filling for our tastes. Did not make the suggested pudding but follwed with Raspberry and Lemon Brandy baskets also a Good Food recipe.

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  • Binder photo Rebecca

    10 May 2009

    Rebecca rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Cooked this for a bring and share meal (had to do 3x the quantity) Worked really well and everyone raved about it. Will definitely be doing it again.

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  • Binder photo martin

    12 May 2009

    martin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Without a doubt one of the best dishes I've eaten. Perfectly balanced between the sweet and the savoury, easy to prepare, beautiful to look at and what a sauce!!! Just amazing. Served it with leeks and mushrooms fried together in butter instead of faffing about with rice or 'lemony greens'. The ideal supper for a cold spring night. -m

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  • Binder photo rua

    07 June 2009

    rua rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    i'd give this more stars if there were more stars available. it was perfection on a plate. one of those dishes that you sit back half way through, but are lost for words to describe the sensation that's happening in your mouth. served with spanish potatoes (also from this site) and a side salad of tomato, red onion & feta with an olive oil and balsamico dressing.

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  • Binder photo Samantha

    05 July 2009

    Samantha rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I used chopped tomatoes rather than cherry and they tasted a little bitter, so I think cherry tomatoes are definitely needed. Other than that I liked the crust on the lamb and would make again.

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  • Binder photo Mich

    09 July 2009

    Mich commented on this recipe

    Fab dinner, did cook the lamb for longer however- fan over 210 for 29 mins, 6 mins at 190 and then 10 min rest, cooked perfectly - pink and moist! Used fresh cherry toms and tasty! Side dish was the feta, green lentil and pea that goes with another Good Food lamb recipe - very tasty too!

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  • Binder photo Mich

    09 July 2009

    Mich rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    would help if I rated it!

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  • Binder photo Carl White

    23 October 2009

    Carl White commented on this recipe

    This is a very expensive cut of lamb, which is ruined by the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce is far too strong and overpowering there for it takes away any taste of the lamb. If you use this recipe do not cook the lamb with the tomato sauce, keep it separate as a side dish. The crust is however quite nice. I will not be using this recipe again.

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  • Binder photo Yvo

    02 February 2010

    Yvo rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Shivy

    06 June 2010

    Shivy rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo barbarastanton

    24 August 2010

    barbarastanton rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Cooked this for friends and it was fab! Very easy to prepare. I cooked the lamb for about 25 minutes and rested for 20 as our friends don't like pink lamb. Just about right. The crust on the lamb was perfect. I expected it to be a bit strong but it wasn't and the tomato sauce was excellent - a real kick to it. I think I would agree and not cook the lamb in the sauce but keep it separate. Will definitely be doing this again.

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  • Binder photo Pam

    05 April 2011

    Pam rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Missed this in 2009 - just tried it from the suppers for 2 supplement. Fabulous flavours. Used Wensledale as I didn't have Feta, and a tin of plum toms with a pinch of sugar. Sauce complements not overpowers the lamb (probably helped as meat resting on bones not submerged in the sauce). Meat cooked just right. Served with braised lettuce & peas from May mag. and new pots. Looked great. Definitely to be repeated.

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  • Binder photo Charlene

    29 December 2011

    Charlene rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Easy and delicious! Try with crushed new potatoes instead of rice.

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  • Binder photo chocolatchaud

    22 February 2012

    chocolatchaud rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made this for Valentine's Day. I loved it but my fiance thought it was a little too lemony, so I'd probably cut down the amount to the zest of half a lemon in total. The rice was OK but a bit soggy - I think it needs to be on slightly higher than the lowest possible heat, which is what I normally do for pilau.

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  • Binder photo JLyla

    16 July 2012

    JLyla commented on this recipe

    Just had to comment on this.....my boyfriend is super fussy but served this with green beans and crushed new pots and he absolutely loved it. After reading the comments re lemon though I didn't put any lemon zest in the marinade just in the feta crust. Would definitely make again!

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  • Binder photo ValleyBaker46

    14 August 2012

    ValleyBaker46 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this last night and it went done a treat!! It was SO YUMMY! Everyone loved the sauce and how rich it was! I added some worstershire sauce and ketchup to it. I cooked the lamp for the time recommended but it seemed to be a little underdone but everyone loved it still! I served it with creamy mash :-)

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  • Binder photo Eve

    03 March 2013

    Eve rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is one of the best recipes I've ever cooked! I made it for my boyfriend and he loved it. I would also agree that the lamb probably needs another 3-5 mins cooking but then we don't like it to be too pink. I also added a little anchovy paste and a little balsamic vinegar to the sauce and it was lovely. I served it with crispy garlic roast potatoes and lemony broccoli - lovely!

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  • Binder photo amye_123

    31 March 2013

    amye_123 rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    We had this tonight, really tasty and satisfying meal. I cooked the lamb for a few minutes more as others had recommended and was just right. The feta crust really complements the lamb and the tomato sauce is excellent-would work with so many meats. We served this with simple broad beans-yummy!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 2

Easily doubled

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

plus marinating and resting

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE

FOR THE CRUST

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PER SERVING

582 kcalories, protein 26g, carbohydrate 12g, fat 48 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 3g, sugar 6g, salt 1.47 g

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