Rack Of Lamb With Pistachio Pesto, Worth The Effort!

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/3 cup raw unsalted pistachios
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• coarse salt (kosher or sea)
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2 lb) lamb racks, frenched (8 chops)
• 6 slices pancetta, thin slices, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
• 8 scallions, and tender green parts, trimmed

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 place pistachios, thyme and rosemary in a mini food processor. add half of the olive oil and process to a paste. season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 3 pour half of the pistachio pesto into a small bowl, stir in remaining olive oil, and set aside to use as a sauce.
• 4 spread some of the remaining pistachio pesto all over the lamb. place strips of pancetta between the bones and wrap it around the meat, leaving bones exposed.
• 5 spread rest of pistachio pesto over pancetta and place rack in a medium-size roasting pan. roast lamb until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 130 degrees, about 40 minutes for medium-rare.
• 6 transfer lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. spoon 1 teaspoon of rendered pancetta fat into a medium-size skillet and heat over high heat.
• 7 add scallions and cook until softened and browned in spots, about 4 minutes.
• 8 cut rack of lamb into 4 servings of 2 chops each and arrange on plates, along with scallions. drizzle pistachio pesto sauce all around chops and serve at once.